Bengaluru (The Hawk): The Karnataka High Court dismissed the bail application of a Kerala man on Tuesday, reasoning that narcotics have an impact on the nation's economy and that he was arrested on allegations of exporting drugs out of the country.
Justice Rajendra Badamikar's bench stated that drug cartels target the younger generation and have a negative impact on society as a whole. The drug trade is illegally funded and operated in violation of the law. It said, "Don't take this lightly."
Taha Umar, the accused, ran a medical store in Malappuram, Kerala, and is suspected of using an employee's Aadhaar card improperly, creating fictitious patients and doctor's prescriptions, and sending pharmaceuticals abroad.
Under the guise of Ajmal Nanath Waliyat, Umar had provided Jainul Abid Man Paramban in Saudi Arabia the address of "Clonazepam," a forbidden tablet under the NDPS Act. The Bengaluru International Airport's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) sleuths discovered this and confiscated tablets weighing 357 kilos. This year's August 25 saw the arrest of Umar.
The accused's attorney contended that bail should be granted because the NDPS Act's standard order specifies that five grammes of narcotic substance must be collected. The defence maintained that the accused is qualified for receiving bail because just 4.2 grammes of evidence were seized by the authorities and standard process was not followed.
The court did note, however, that despite the smaller amount, the authorities had not objected to testing the material they had collected.
Umar is innocent, according to the attorney, and he did not engage in export operations, merely providing medical equipment.
Umar sought the high court after his bail request was denied by the lower court.
(Inputs from Agencies)