Delhi court grants pre-arrest bail to man in NDPS case

New Delhi, Sep 10 (PTI) A Delhi court has granted anticipatory bail to an accused in a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, noting certain variations regarding his name.

Additional Sessions Judge Tarun Sahrawat was hearing the pre-arrest bail plea of the accused, Narayan Upadhyay, against whom the Okhla Industrial Area police station had registered a case under the NDPS provisions.

In an order dated September 6, the court said, "During the course of arguments, it was contended by the counsel for the applicant or accused that, in this matter, a non-bailable warrant (NBW) was issued against the accused Vinay Pandit. However, the present accused's name is Narayan Upadhyay, and therefore, on the last date of hearing, the investigating officer (IO) was directed to verify whether the accused Vinay Pandit and Narayan Upadhyay are the same person." It noted that, according to the IO's report, a local enquiry revealed that Pandit's address was found abandoned, and witnesses stated that they did not know whether Vinay Pandit had another name, Narayan Upadhyay.

"In the totality of the facts and circumstances of the case and in view of the submissions made, I deem it fit to grant anticipatory bail to the accused person, namely Narayan Upadhyay," the court said.

The court added that, upon being arrested, Upadhyay would need to be released on furnishing a personal and surety bond of Rs 30,000 each.

The court also imposed several other conditions for the relief, including not leaving the country, joining the investigation when required, and not contacting any prosecution witnesses. PTI MNR HIG