Age of accused immaterial when role is clear in serious NDPS offences: Mumbai court

The court remarked that once they are released, “they will again indulge in the same activities (drug trafficking), spoiling other young boys”.

A special court under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has rejected the bail plea of one of the accused from the group that had attacked Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials in Mumbai in November last year. One of the arguments in favour of the bail plea was about the age of the accused. The court said that the age of the accused is immaterial when the involvement is patent from the record of serious offences.

Kerry Kelvin Mendes (21) had filed a bail plea, which was opposed by special public prosecutor Advait Sethna. Sethna had argued that the quantity of drugs — 20 LSD blots, weighing 0.3734 grams — recovered from the accused is commercial. He added that the rigours of Section 37 are applicable and that there was strong evidence against the accused.