SRINAGAR: A court in Jammu and Kashmir has rejected a supplementary complaint filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in an NDPS case, holding that further investigation during an ongoing trial cannot be carried out without prior permission of the trial court.
The original complaint was filed before the Principal Sessions Judge, Samba, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Charges in the case were framed in October 2022, and the trial had progressed with prosecution evidence recorded and statements of the accused completed.
At the stage of final arguments, the NCB filed a supplementary complaint against another accused. Counsel for the accused opposed the move, arguing that the agency had neither sought nor obtained permission from the court to conduct further investigation.
While dismissing the supplementary complaint, the court observed that any further investigation without prior approval of the trial court was legally unsustainable and that no implied permission could be presumed.
The court ruled that the supplementary complaint was not maintainable and directed the immediate release of the accused persons in judicial custody, provided they were not wanted in any other case.
