Supreme Court Reduces Cost Imposed on Narcotic Control Bureau
The Supreme Court decided not to intervene with the order requiring the Narcotic Control Bureau to pay a cost of Rs 1 lakh, but instead reduced the amount to Rs 50,000. The penalty was imposed due to delayed appeal against an acquittal. The cost is to be borne by the government.
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- India
In a significant decision, the Supreme Court on Thursday reduced the financial penalty imposed on the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 50,000 but chose not to interfere with the initial ruling altogether.
The decision came after the Centre contested a Calcutta High Court directive, issued on June 16, 2024, that required NCB to bear the cost given the delay in filing an appeal against an acquittal verdict from a special NDPS court in Barasat.
Despite the apex court's reduction, the cost must be shouldered by the government rather than individual officers, as the court clarified the responsibility lies within the systemic inefficiencies in legal processing.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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