Karnataka High Court questions settlement of ganja cases through Lok Adalat

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has expressed strong surprise over the settlement of ganja-related criminal cases through Lok Adalat proceedings. The court questioned whether serious drug offences could legally be resolved in such a manner.

The observation was made by a single-judge bench headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna while hearing a writ petition filed by Samir Khan alias Dadu (51), a resident of Mysuru, who is currently in judicial custody in connection with a ganja sale case.

During the hearing, advocate R.K. Mahadev, appearing for the petitioner, informed the court that his client had been arrested near the BEO office in Mysuru on charges of selling ganja. He stated that according to the police complaint, 53 grams of ganja had been seized from the accused. The lawyer argued that the sections invoked against the petitioner were bailable in nature. However, despite this, the trial court had rejected the bail application. He therefore urged the High Court to grant bail to the accused.

Opposing the plea, Additional State Public Prosecutor B.N. Jagadish informed the court that the same accused had earlier been convicted in another drug-related case by a trial court. He said that the petitioner had a criminal background involving similar offences.

Responding to this, Mahadev submitted that in the previous case, the accused had admitted his guilt and the matter was settled in Lok Adalat. This statement prompted a sharp reaction from the bench.

Justice Nagaprasanna expressed serious concern and asked, “What is this? Are ganja cases also being settled in Lok Adalats? If this continues, tomorrow even MDMA and other serious narcotics cases may also be compromised in Lok Adalat. What will happen if such offenders simply plead guilty, pay a small fine and walk free?”

The judge further questioned why Mysuru city in particular was witnessing a large number of ganja-related cases. He cautioned that if the accused was found again with even three grams of ganja in the future, strict action would be taken and he would be sent to jail.

After considering the submissions, the court granted conditional bail to the petitioner as an interim relief, warning him against any further involvement in drug-related activities.

The case against Samir Khan was registered on January 13, 2026, at Mandi Mohalla Police Station under Section 20(b)(ii)(A) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Following his arrest, the 3rd Additional Civil and JMFC Court in Mysuru had remanded him to judicial custody. The High Court has now granted him bail with strict conditions.