'Foreigner' not grounds to deny bail, says NDPS court

Being a foreign national cannot be the grounds to deny bail, the special Narcotic Control and Psychotropic Substance Act (NDPS) court said earlier this week.

The court, while hearing a bail application of a 32-year-old Tanzanian Ibrahim Shabani held for allegedly possessing drugs in September 2018, also said that keeping the accused behind bars till the trial gets over was totally unnecessary and unwarranted.

The court observed that the entire investigation report, barring the Chemical Analyser's report, was yet to be received even though the accused was behind the bars since September 13, 2018.

"All the witnesses in the case are public servants, thus the question of accused tampering with the witnesses does not arise. The conclusion of the trial would take its time and it is not desirable to keep the accused behind bars for so long. Thus his further detention in the jail custody is totally unwarranted."

According to the prosecution's case, the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) had the accused Ibrahim Shabani was arrested while allegedly dealing with the commercial quantity of drug called Ephedrine. The agency found the accused allegedly in possession with six kilos of the same contraband. Post his arrest, the accused had applied for bail. The prosecution, however, opposed the bail stating that the accused might abscond if granted bail.