Supreme Court Acquits Taxi Driver Under NDPS Act, Cites Lack of Evidence

The Supreme Court has acquitted a taxi driver convicted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act), for carrying 20 kg of ganja in his taxi. 

The appellant was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹1,00,000 by the trial court, a decision later upheld by the Karnataka High Court. 

The bench noted that the driver’s inability to provide passenger details cannot justify his conviction.

The Court criticized the prosecution's failure to trace absconding passengers and ruled that the contraband’s presence in the taxi does not prove the driver’s involvement. 

Setting aside the Karnataka High Court's decision, the Court emphasized that drivers are not obligated to verify passenger identities.