https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=778774 In NDPS prosecutions, substantial compliance with statutory safeguards on seizure, sealing, storage, sampling and disposal of contraband is essential. Here, the seized substance remained with the investigating officer for about fifteen days, was not properly sealed, and the procedure under Standing Order No. 1/89 was not substantially followed; there was also clear non-compliance with Section 52A. As the possibility of tampering could not be ruled out and the prosecution failed to show that the defects caused no prejudice, the conviction could not be sustained and the accused were entitled to the benefit of doubt. en-us Tue, 25 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0530 Wed, 17 Sep 2025 14:40:29 +0530 TaxTMI RSS Generator https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=778774 In NDPS prosecutions, substantial compliance with statutory safeguards on seizure, sealing, storage, sampling and disposal of contraband is essential. Here, the seized substance remained with the investigating officer for about fifteen days, was not properly sealed, and the procedure under Standing Order No. 1/89 was not substantially followed; there was also clear non-compliance with Section 52A. As the possibility of tampering could not be ruled out and the prosecution failed to show that the defects caused no prejudice, the conviction could not be sustained and the accused were entitled to the benefit of doubt. Case-Laws Indian Laws Tue, 25 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0530 https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=778774