2 drug smugglers sentenced to six years imprisonment in Meghalaya

Shillong, Oct 29 (PTI) Two drug smugglers were sentenced to six years' imprisonment by a local court in Meghalaya, even as another accused was handed a seven-year jail term for rape in a separate case, officials said on Wednesday.

The East Khasi Hills Special Judge (NDPS) court on October 27 convicted Marvinson Jyrwa and Skhem Kupar Massar under Sections 21(b) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and Section 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act for distributing drugs to minors.

Both were sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 60,000 each.

The prosecution proved that the duo was involved in the possession and distribution of narcotic substances and that they targeted minors, a factor the court termed "deeply aggravating" while delivering the verdict.

Public Prosecutor SS Das represented the state in the case.

In a separate judgment, the court of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Judicial), Shillong, convicted Bijoy Hajong for rape and sentenced him to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.

The court also directed the District Legal Services Authority to provide compensation to the victim under the Victim Compensation Scheme.

The rulings come amid a sustained crackdown by the judiciary and law enforcement agencies in Meghalaya against narcotics trafficking and crimes against women and children. PTI JOP MNB