Kerala HC Receives Assistance from Law Students as Amici Curiae in NDPS Case

The Kerala High Court granted bail to an accused in an NDPS case, ruling that the 24-hour deadline under Article 22(2) begins when a person’s liberty is effectively curtailed, not when arrest is formally recorded.

Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas found that the accused was detained from 3 pm on January 25 but produced before a magistrate only at 8 pm the next day, amounting to illegal detention.

The Court appreciated second-year law students Nikhina Thomas and Neha Babu of MS Ramaiah College, Bengaluru, who, as amici curiae, relied on landmark Supreme Court rulings to argue for the accused’s rights.

(Biswajit Mandal v. Inspector)