HC acquits man in drugs case, slaps fine on NCB

Kolkata, May 16 The Calcutta High Court imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for wrong investigation in a nine- year-old case. A Bench observed that the man they had arrested for selling drugs — he was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment later — was not guilty of the offence.

A team of NCB officials had arrested Salim Akhtar from a restaurant in the Bowbazar area in July 1999 and had filed a chargesheet against him.

The Sessions court convicted him and sent him to 10 years’ imprisonment in June 2005. Challenging the order, Salim had filed an appeal in the Calcutta High Court. In its order on Friday, a Division Bench of Justices Girish Chandra Gupta and K K Prasad acquitted Salim of all charges.