Lucknow: A court in Barabanki has acquitted Neeraj Gupta, a Gorakhpur resident accused of possessing 200 grams of morphine, citing serious lapses in the police investigation, deficiencies in seizure proceedings and inconclusive forensic evidence. The case had remained under trial for nearly 14 years.
Jaideipur police arrested Gupta at Harkh crossing on June 17, 2012, and claimed to have recovered 200 grams of morphine from his possession, according to the prosecution.
The absence of neutral witnesses, the order said, undermined the credibility of the recovery narrative and weakened the evidentiary value of the police version in a narcotics case. Gupta was described as a resident of Vishnupuri Colony in the Nautanwa police station area of Gorakhpur district. The alleged recovery formed the basis of the criminal case registered against him. The court further observed that the police did not make adequate efforts to associate independent witnesses with the seizure process.
During the trial, the court scrutinised the manner in which the alleged recovery was conducted and documented. The judge found that the prescribed safeguards were not followed. The court noted that a gazetted officer was not called to the spot at the time of the alleged recovery.
It found that the laboratory report did not conclusively establish the nature of the substance said to have been recovered from Gupta. Additional district and sessions judge Anjani Kumar Singh delivered the verdict after assessing the evidence led by the prosecution and the testimonies of witnesses. The court held that the shortcomings in the prosecution case created substantial doubt and entitled the accused to acquittal. The court also examined the forensic material placed on record. The inadequacy of the forensic findings, combined with procedural lapses during seizure and investigation, was held to have eroded the prosecution case. On an overall assessment, the court concluded that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the charges and acquitted Gupta.