The Supreme Court on Thursday directed Chhattisgarh Police to inform it about the involvement of students from Savitribai Phule Pune University in drug-related offences [Anil Bhor vs. State of Chhattisgarh]..A Bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and SVN Bhatti was hearing the bail plea of a 25-year-old student Anil Bhor, who is facing trial in a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The case pertains to alleged recovery of 30 kilograms of ganja from him and co-accused Prashant Athani, also a student of the same university. .Taking note of the fact that both the accused are from the same university, the Court asked Chhattisgarh police to find out how many other students of the university are involved in such cases. “We direct, the learned counsel for the State of Chhattisgarh to find out as to how many other students of this University are involved in similar kind of incidences and how many of them are facing investigation/trial...The Police may collect the necessary information in this regard from the local SHO and the University Authorities,” the Court ordered.The matter will be next taken up for hearing in July..Bhor was booked by police in Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district in February 2024. He along with Athani were arrested after alleged recovery of ganja from them. Bhor has claimed that he was unaware of any contraband and also highlighted procedural lapses in the investigation. It has also been argued that key prosecution witnesses have turned hostile..Bhor was represented by Advocate Anand Dilip Landge.The State was represented by Deputy Advocate General Praneet Pranav, Standing Counsel Vinayak Sharma along with Advocates Ravinder Kumar Yadav, and Kshitiz Aggarwal. .[Read Order]
