Zahid Sulatan vs The State

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P IiS I 1,1 1I.,1 R TTIG II C0 U RT,,7IT I]OTT,4 I]A I) RIiNCII

J(l l ) lC 1,,1 1. I ) l:) P A R l it l J') N7 .IUDGMIJNT SIIEIiT

Cr. M.No.368-A/2018

Dute oJ hewing 08.05.2018.

Petitioner/s (Zahitl Sultan) by Mr. Masood ur Re hrnun Ta no I i.,4dvuc a t c'.

Respondent/s (The Stctte & another) by Sardctr Muhammad lsif, 1'ssist: ,4G.

SYED MUHAMMAD ATTIOUE SIIAH. .I

Pctitioncr Zahid Sultan has applicd to this Courr 1br l.ris rclcasc on bail in casc lrllt No. 43-l clatcrl 20.04.201 8 undcr scction 9 (c) o1' thc Control o1' Narcotic Substanccs AcL, 1997, l5 KPK Alms Act, 2OI3 registcrcd against him at Policc Station I Iavclian, Abbottabad, whcrcin hc is chalgcd lbr posscssing 3437 grams charas alongwith 30 borc pistol.

2.Argumcnts hcard and rccord availablc gonc through.

3.A cursory glancc on rccord of thc casc would rcvcal that no doubt 3437 grams charas alongwirh 30 borc pistol wcre shown to havc bccn rccovcred but admittcdly thc rccovcry was no1 cll'cctcd h-om { pcrsonal posscssion ol- thc accuscci/pctitioncr rathcr it was shown to havc bcr:n rccovcrcd liom thc

allcgcd rcsidcntial room ol- thc housc of thc accuscd/pctilioncr.'l'hcrc was prior inlormation rcgarding sclling o1- narcotics b1, thc pr.cscnl accuscd/pctitioncr and local policc obtaincd scarch warrant lrom Magistratc rcgarding thc scarch of housc of prcscnt accuscd/pctilioncr, whcrcby thc lcarncd Magistratc dircctcd thc local policc to scarch thc placc/housc in prescncc o1'cldcrs ol locality but no privatc and indcpcndcnt pcrson was associatcd with thc allcgcd rccovcry. Iiurlhcrn-torc, thc abovc scarch warrant was issucd by conccrncd Magistratc on 18.04.2018 undcr Articic 22 o1 thc I'rohibition Ordcr (tinforccmcnt of I ladd) Ordcr, 1979 and it was spccifically rncntioncd thcrcin that thc scarch warrant would bc cll-cctivc Ibl twcnty lilur hours.

Sincc raid was conductcd on 20.04.201 8. thc scarch warrant issucd by thc Magistralc ccascd to havc any cllccl altcr lapsc of lwcnty lour hours, thcrclorc, its cvidcntiary valuc would bc dctcrmincd by thc lcarncd trial Courl aftcr rccording cvidcncc of thc prosccution. Morcovcr, thc Judicial Magistl'atc $'as nol compctcnt to issttc scarch warrzrnL in thc cascs to bc rcgistcrcd under thc provisions ol' Narcotic J Substanccs Act, 1997, rathcr it was Spccial Court, who could issuc such warranl undcr lhc provisions

of CNSA, 1997. 'l'his Court in casc tirlccl .Rehmat Zaman und unother Vs. The State' (2008 Mr,t) l5tl9), has hcld thar.

"Perusal o f the recor d reveal lhcrl lhe senrch \)arranl dated 22.3.20()8 ln lhis case was issued by the Judicial Macistrlte Under the lav, sectrch hcrs to be c onducte d strictly in acL'()t'danL'e with set't ion 20 of the Control of Narcriic Subslance.s,lr:/ 1997 and it is the Special Court who has to isstre lhe sear ch v)arrdnl to any violatictn o f rhis provts ion ol latv will make the search illecal. " In anolhcr casc titlcd 'Abrar Ilussoin Vs. Tlte State' (201 1 YLR 23tl), it was hclcl thal:-

"Seclion 20 o/' Control o f Narcriic Subslances lct 1997 connoles lhat Special Court, alone, can is:;ue h)arranl fty the seurch ri any ltrrilcling, plcrcc, ltt t:nri.st.s or' convey-ance in which il has reason tct believe that conlrabctnd mentioned in the section is ke t or concealed. Subsection (i) of the sctid section i,s lhus restricted and deals rimaril with arrtrehension o/' offender which yvrruld, obvious ly, be followed by his cttlDebilitv. on lhe one hand und provis ions fo r raid, search, on the other, but lhe Magistrates muchles; Judicictl Macistrates hctve rutl been nvesled wilh such Dowers. 'l'he sttid di clional error cannol be i prutred. It is now wall e.;ttrbli,shetl thot befbre such on ac'lion is tlie11. lhe exislence rtr olhe rwise of the po\ler6 lo be ascerlained so as lo ,f perfbrnt it 'wilhin oermissible limils failin s which lhe ve act bn logelher with supe r-slrLrcl.Ltres built lherer.tn wrntld crumble. "

4.Likcwisc, on rccot.d thcrc is no prcviorrs conviction o{' accuscd/pctilioncr rcgarding tris involvcmcnt in such likc cascs and Iinally thc invcstigalion in the casc is also complctc and accuscd/pctitioncr is no morc rcquircd to thc local policc lor further invcstigation. Morcovcr, thc rcporl o1'lrSL is also no1 availablc on filc, wilhout which it cannot bc dctcrmincd thal thc rccovcrcd stu l'l' u,as aclually charas or sorncthing clsc. It is pcrtincnt to mcnlion herc that on thc samc day, timc and ll-om thc samc housc,, local policc ol' policc stalion Ilavclian also rccovcrcd 2232 grams charcts and casc IilR No. 434 datcd: 20.04.2018 was also rcgistcrcd against brothcr of' prcscnt accuscd/pctilioncr.

5.In vicw of' thc abovc and on tcntatir c asscssmcnt of thc availablc rccord, this Court is of thc vicw that the petitioncr has madc ou1 a casc arguablc for thc purposc ol bail as his casc falls within thc ambit ol'lurrhcr inquiry qua his gluilt.

6.Conscqucntly, this bail pctilion is allowcd and it is dircctcd thal thc accuscd-pctitioncr bc rclcascd on bail, subjccl to his lurnishing bail bonds in thc sum of Its.1,00,0001 with two surctics cach in thc likc amount to thc satisfaction olthc lcamcd Illaqa /

l)uty Judicial Magistratc, who shall cnsurc that thc surctics arc local, rcliablc and Ircn o I'ntcans l. Abovc arc thc dctailcd rcasons ol my short ordcr ol cvcn datc.

Anno unced.

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