RASHID BHAT ALIAS RASHIDA Vs. STATE OF J. & K.

JUDGEMENT

(1.) By virtue of the powers which a single bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir enjoys as per sub-clause 9(b) of Rule 14 of the High Court Rules, 1975, the sentence awarded in the case under appeal is for a term not exceeding ten years, as such, under the relevant provisions, an appeal in a case for which sentence of imprisonment for a term of ten years has been passed, is to be heard and disposed of by a Single Bench of this court. Hence this appeal has been heard and is being disposed of by this Bench.

(2.) The appeal is against the sentence and conviction passed under special Act which came to be known as Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (hereinafter to be referred to as the Act of 1985) passed by learned 2nd Additional Sessions Judge, Jammu on 23-2-1988.

(3.) it may be noted that the Act of 1985 has been specially enacted in order to do away with the menace of the drugs of addition like Bhang, Charas, Ganja, Opium, LSD, Heroin,Cocain or such other drugs of addition which of late have drawn the attention of all the civilised people of the World for the misuse and abuse of these and other like such drugs and in difference to the International conventions on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and for matters connected there with. In this dynamic world, India could not and should not have laged behind in reaching to the changes which were taking place in the world regarding the condemnation and curbing of the drug abuse, which has and was eating into the nerves of the civilisation of the present day world.