Sat Mar 01 08:54:47 UTC 2025: **Supreme Court Reverses Allahabad High Court’s Compensation Order in Narcotics Case**
New Delhi, March 1, 2025 — The Supreme Court of India has overturned an Allahabad High Court ruling that ordered the Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to pay ₹5 lakh in compensation to a man for alleged wrongful confinement. The Supreme Court deemed the High Court’s action as exceeding its jurisdiction.
The case stemmed from a joint NCB operation where 1,280 grams of a brown powder, initially suspected to be heroin, were seized from Man Singh Verma and Aman Singh. Verma was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. Subsequent laboratory tests, both initial and by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Chandigarh, revealed the powder contained no narcotic substances. Following a closure report by the NCB, Verma was released.
Despite Verma’s release, the Allahabad High Court, while considering his bail application (which had become irrelevant after his release), awarded compensation, citing wrongful confinement.
The Supreme Court, in its appeal hearing, stated that the High Court overstepped its authority by adjudicating the bail application after the release and awarding compensation. The court emphasized that the High Court should have simply dismissed the infructuous bail application. The awarding of compensation, the Supreme Court ruled, was outside the bounds of the High Court’s jurisdiction and contrary to law. While acknowledging that unlawful confinement violates rights, the court stressed that legal recourse must follow established procedures.
First Piper 