An explainer on India's most litigated NDPS procedural safeguard — the statutory text, the Constitution Bench line from Balbir Singh to Vijaysinh Jadeja, the bag-versus-body distinction settled in Ranjan Kumar Chadha, and the most recent Supreme Court reaffirmation in Surat Singh (2026).
From the Himachal Pradesh Full Bench in Ratto (2003) to the Rajasthan High Court at Jodhpur in Samrath (2026), a pan-India survey of the bail and conviction decisions that have held a recovery exactly equal to the notification figure to fall outside the bar of Section 37.
The writing of the secret information. The dispatch to the immediate superior. The reasons for a search after sunset. Section 42 of the NDPS Act is, on paper, a procedural provision — but the Supreme Court has treated each of its safeguards as substantive. From Balbir Singh to Karnail Singh, an explainer.
Section 52A of the NDPS Act, 1985 governs the disposal of seized narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of all four sub-sections, the 7-step statutory procedure, landmark Supreme Court judgements including Union of India v. Mohanlal (2016) and Bharat Aambale (2025), the 10 guiding principles, evidentiary significance under Section 52A(4), and practical implications for prosecution and defence in NDPS trials.
Popular: POCSO, IBC, Electoral Bond, Article 370, NDPS Act, Bail Conditions, SC Contempt