The Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and ten-year sentence of an accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act), ruling that humanitarian considerations cannot override the statutory minimum punishment mandated by the legislature for offenses involving commercial quantities. The Court further clarified that mere procedural irregularities in sampling, absent evidence compromising the integrity of the seizure, do not vitiate a prosecution case.

The Division Bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi , in the judgment delivered on December 11, 2025, dismissed the appeal filed by Jothi Nagajothi against the Madras High Court’s order affirming her conviction.

Background of the Case

The case dates back to September 21, 2019, when

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