Kunnu Bharti Alias Abhinandan Convicted in 2008 Charas Recovery Case; ₹10,000 Fine Imposed
JAMMU, AUGUST 23: A Special NDPS Court in Jammu has sentenced Kunnu Bharti alias Abhinandan to three years’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹10,000, bringing an 18-year-old narcotics case to its conclusion, the Jammu unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) said on Sunday.
The convict was facing trial in connection with the recovery of 960 grams of charas from his possession in Jammu.
According to the NCB, its team recovered the contraband, concealed in a polythene bag, from Bharti in the Kashmir Basti area of Jammu on December 3, 2008.
During the trial, the accused was granted bail in 2010. However, he subsequently jumped bail and remained absconding for several years, causing the case to remain pending before the court.
The NCB later traced Bharti to Amphalla Jail, Jammu, and secured his production before the competent court in August 2025, bringing him back into the judicial process and paving the way for the conclusion of the long-pending trial.
After completion of the proceedings, the Special NDPS Court, Jammu, convicted Bharti and sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment on August 11, besides imposing a fine of ₹10,000.
The court further ordered that in case of failure to deposit the fine, the convict would undergo an additional two months of rigorous imprisonment, the NCB spokesperson said.
The court also directed Bharti to furnish a ₹20,000 bond under Section 34 of the NDPS Act before his release, undertaking that he would not repeat such offences in the future.
The NCB said the conviction marks the conclusion of a narcotics case that remained pending for nearly two decades, reflecting the agency’s efforts to pursue long-pending drug-related cases to their legal conclusion.(KNC)
