Karnataka High Court Quashes Drug Case Against Man Accused in Parappana Agrahara Prison Breach

The High Court of Karnataka has quashed criminal proceedings against a 36-year-old man, Anji M, who was implicated in a 2022 narcotics smuggling incident at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru. Justice Rajesh Rai K allowed the petition filed by the accused, ruling that prosecuting an individual solely on the basis of uncorroborated, voluntary statements of co-accused persons amounts to an abuse of the judicial process. The case originated on February 2, 2022, when security personnel guarding the main gate of the Parappana Agrahara prison intercepted a prison assistant carrying suspicious packets hidden in his clothing. Subsequent forensic analysis confirmed the presence of LSD strips and opium-like substances. An investigation by local police led to the arrest of seven individuals. Anji was later named as accused number seven after co-accused individuals alleged during questioning that they had purchased contraband from his mother. Reviewing the chargesheet, the High Court observed that there was no independent evidence or material linking Anji directly to the alleged smuggling operation. Advocate K. Ravishankar, representing the petitioner, argued that under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, an accused cannot be prosecuted purely on confessions made by co-accused while in custody. Accepting this legal contention, the bench quashed all proceedings pending against Anji in the trial court, while clarifying that trial proceedings against the remaining accused will continue in accordance with law.