New Delhi, March 13 (NationPress) The Supreme Court has approved bail for a man who was convicted under the strict regulations of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. This decision was made in light of the fact that he has been in custody for over seven years, with no foreseeable timeline for his appeal to be addressed by the Patna High Court.

A panel consisting of Justices Sanjay Kumar and K. Vinod Chandran accepted the appeal presented by Manoj Kumar Gupta, thereby overturning the ruling of the Patna High Court, which had previously denied his request to suspend his sentence and grant bail.

Gupta challenged the decision made on May 15, 2025, by the Patna High Court that dismissed his plea for suspension of his sentence stemming from an FIR filed in 2000, related to violations of various sections under the NDPS Act.

Considering the extended period of incarceration, the apex court highlighted that Gupta had already served more than seven years and noted that his appeal is unlikely to be reviewed by the Patna High Court anytime soon.

“Even though the appeal is against his conviction concerning a commercial quantity of contraband under the NDPS Act, we believe he deserves relief at this point,” remarked the Justice Kumar-led panel.

In granting the appeal, the Supreme Court ordered the suspension of the appellant’s sentence and mandated his release on bail while his appeal is considered by the Patna High Court.

The court clarified that this relief is contingent upon Gupta paying the fine imposed by the Special Court and adhering to any additional requirements set by the trial court.

“Provided the appellant pays the imposed fine and complies with any other terms as mandated by the Special Court, he shall be released on bail following the suspension of his sentence, pending the evaluation of his appeal on its merits,” the order stated.

Moreover, the court instructed that the appellant must consistently appear or have representation during the hearings of his appeal before the Patna High Court and refrain from seeking unnecessary delays.

The Supreme Court emphasized that the remarks made in this order pertain solely to the bail decision and should not influence the merits of the ongoing appeal.

“We clarify that we have not made any observations/comments regarding the merits of the pending appeal, and any comments made in this order are intended only for the limited purpose of granting bail,” the Justice Kumar-led panel concluded.