STATE OF RAJASTHAN vs CHHAGAN LAL — Crl.A. No. 592/2005

Summary: State of Rajasthan v. Chhagan Lal (Crl.A. No. 592/2005) The Supreme Court dismissed the State's appeal challenging the High Court's acquittal of Chhagan Lal on narcotics charges. The High Court had set aside the conviction for violation of Section 42 of the NDPS Act, which requires officers to record informant information in writing and notify their superior within 72 hours before conducting searches. Although police recovered opium from a well in an emergent situation where evidence faced destruction, the Court found total non-compliance with Section 42's procedural requirements, with no evidence the officer recorded grounds of belief or informed superiors. The Supreme Court upheld the acquittal, affirming that while delayed compliance with satisfactory explanation is acceptable, complete non-compliance is impermissible. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.