A special court in Mandi convicted Kahan Singh and Nagendra in a charas case and sentenced each of them to ten years of rigorous imprisonment.[1] The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on each convict, with an additional year of simple imprisonment if the fine is not paid.[1] In fixing the punishment, the court considered their age, the absence of any prior criminal conviction and their family responsibilities, calling ten years the minimum term.[1]
The case began on 24 May 2023, when an Anti-Narcotics Task Force team from Kullu led by Inspector Inder Singh was on patrol and blockade duty in the Jogindernagar area.[1] At about 8:35 pm, about 100 metres beyond Syuri bridge, the team stopped on suspicion two youths walking from the Syuri side, one of whom was carrying a yellow bag.[1] A search of the bag found black stick-shaped charas wrapped in green polythene, which weighed 1.188 kg on an electronic scale.[1] Police seized the charas on the spot and registered a first information report at Jogindernagar police station.[1]
Police later filed a charge sheet against Kahan Singh, resident of Ghadoun, and Nagendra, resident of Chhaprot, under Sections 20 and 29 of the NDPS Act.[1] At trial the prosecution examined 17 witnesses, although both independent witnesses turned hostile.[1] The court treated the testimony of police personnel, photographs of the scene and other documentary evidence as decisive.[1] It rejected the defence argument that the recovery was tampered with and the accused were falsely implicated, holding the prosecution case proved beyond reasonable doubt.[1]