24/04/2020
In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court on 22.04.2020 in the case of Hira Singh v Union of India ,Criminal Appeal No. 722 of 2017, held that the quantity of neutral substances in a mixture containing narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances must be taken into account along with the actual weight of the offending drug while determining 'small or commercial quantity' under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
On this view, a three-judge bench overruled the 2008 decision E. Micheal Raj v. Intelligence Officer, Narcotic Control Bureau, which had held that only the actual weight of the drug in a mixture will matter under the NDPS Act, and that the weight of the neutral substances can be excluded.
The court said that even mixture of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substance is more dangerous
