Supreme Court: Trial Court's Order Required Before Drug Disposal Committee Can Dispose Of Seized Vehicle
The case concerns the release of a lorry seized during a drug case where the accused were acquitted. The core issue is whether the Drug Disposal Committee (DDC) can dispose of the vehicle without a specific order from the Trial Court, and whether the vehicle should be returned to the owner given the acquittal.
Appellant: R Manimaran (owner of the vehicle); Respondent: State of Tamil Nadu; Bench: Justices J. B. Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran.
- Supreme Court allowed the Criminal Appeal.
- Set aside the order of the Trial Court rejecting the release of the vehicle.
- Set aside the judgment of the High Court of Madras.
- Ordered the release of the vehicle (TN-57-AQ-2165) to the Appellant.
- Directed that if the vehicle was transmitted to the DDC, it must be released forthwith to the Appellant.
- Held that the DDC cannot independently dispose of a seized vehicle pending criminal proceedings without proper orders from the Court.
- Clarified that the power to confiscate lies with the Court under Section 63(1) of the NDPS Act, not the DDC.
- Disposed of any pending applications.
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Document details
| Official title | NDPS Act | Drug Disposal Committee Cannot Dispose Of Seized Vehicle Without Trial Court's Orders : Supreme Court |
| Source body | Supreme Court of India — orders & judgments |
| Reference number | — |
| Status | closed (order) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Closing date | 2026-08-24 |
| Documents | 1 |