Hello friends, the Supreme Court quashed ₹5 lakh compensation order by Allahabad HC for an innocent jailed 4 months due to lack of evidence in an NCB case. One such case came to light, where an innocent had to stay in jail for four months, and later it was found that there was no concrete evidence against him.
What was the whole matter?
This story begins when the NCB detained Man Singh Verma and Aman Singh during an operation. 1,280 grams of brown powder was recovered from them, which was said to be heroin. On this basis, a case was registered against Verma under sections of the NDPS Act, 1985 and he was sent to jail. However, when the powder was subjected to forensic tests, the report dated January 30, 2023, did not identify it as heroin or any other narcotic substance. Despite this, to make the case even more concrete, it was sent to CFSL, Chandigarh, where the second report dated April 5, 2023, also made it clear that it was not a narcotic substance. After this, the NCB filed a closure report in the Special NDPS Court, after which Verma was released from jail.
High Court ordered compensation
Although Verma was released from jail, the Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) took further action in the matter. The court said that Verma was a young man who was wrongly imprisoned for four months. Therefore, the High Court ordered the NCB Director to pay compensation of ₹ 5 lakh to Verma.
Why did the Supreme Court cancel the order?
When the matter reached the Supreme Court, a bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Manmohan declared the High Court order illegal. The Supreme Court said “The job of the court is to deliver justice within the ambit of the law, and not to give decisions outside its jurisdiction.” The Supreme Court also said that when the accused had already been released by the District Court, there was no basis for the High Court to give a decision on compensation. The court made it clear that if a person is wrongly detained, he will have to adopt appropriate measures under the legal process to get justice, and not such direct compensation orders.
Definition of justice and rights
This case forces us to think what is the true meaning of justice. Keeping an innocent person in jail for four months was a violation of his fundamental rights, but the order to give compensation should also be by the legal procedures.
Friends, this case teaches us a big lesson that the law should be followed equally by everyone. Justice is not only necessary to punish the guilty but also to save the innocent from unnecessary trouble. This decision of the Supreme Court shows that everyone should get justice within the ambit of the law.
Disclaimer: This article is written for informational purposes only. The information given in it is not a substitute for any legal advice. Contact an expert or lawyer for proper advice on any legal matter.
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