The sentence
A special NDPS court in Guna district, Madhya Pradesh, sentenced Rajesh Pal to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment on Thursday, 8 October 2026.[1][2] The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh.[1][2] Pal, a resident of R.C.P. Colony in Suratgarh, Rajasthan, was convicted under sections 8(c), 20(b)(ii)(C) and 29 of the NDPS Act, India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.[1][2]
The 2019 interception
The case dates to 17 August 2019, when officers of the NCB’s Bhopal Zonal Unit stopped a Wagon-R car at Bhopal Bypass Chauraha in Guna.[1][2] A search found 54.380 kg of ganja packed in 28 packets, wrapped in adhesive tape and hidden in a black bag in the rear luggage compartment and in a plastic panel between the driver and front passenger seats.[1][2] Investigators established that the ganja had been sourced in Andhra Pradesh and was being transported to Delhi.[1][2] Pal was arrested at the scene.[1][2] The NCB said the seized car was later auctioned after the prescribed legal formalities.[1][2]