Chandigarh, Oct. 6 -- A special court sentenced a 29-year old man to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of 1 lakh for possessing 5 kg of charas, a commercial quantity under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Special judge Raman Goklaney convicted Mukesh Kumar alias Anku under Section 20(ii)(C) of the NDPS Act (possession of cannabis in commercial quantity) in connection with a case registered at Sector 34 police station. The judgment and order on sentence were pronounced on October 3. According to the prosecution, a police team was conducting checks near the T-point at Piccadilly Square Mall, Sector 34, on the night of May 23, 2021. Around 10.35 pm, the team spotted Mukesh, who allegedly turned back on seeing the police and attempted to throw away the backpack he was carrying. The police intercepted him and recovered 5 kg of charas from the backpack. The substance was seized and sealed at the spot before being sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Sector 36, where it was confirmed to be charas/cannabis. The defence questioned the recovery, arguing that no independent public witness had been joined and that there were discrepancies in the statements of police witnesses. It also pointed to the non-examination of senior constable Manwinder Singh, who had carried the ruqa for registration of the FIR, and raised questions over the handing over of the police seal. It concluded that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that 5 kg of charas, a commercial quantity, was recovered from Mukesh's conscious possession and that the chain of custody from the spot to CFSL was unbroken. The court, while sentencing him, took into account the commercial quantity of the contraband and the impact of narcotic drugs on society. In default of payment, he will undergo an additional one year of simple imprisonment....