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Doniyar Vildanov v. The State of U.P.

Non-Reportable · 2026 INSC 95Decided 30 Jan 2026
Non-Reportable
Justice Sanjay Kumar · Justice K. Vinod Chandran

Background

A Russian national convicted of carrying charas near the Indo-Nepal border alleged the case was fabricated after he refused to pay a bribe; his passport lacked an India entry stamp contradicting the prosecution's timeline.

Decision Breakdown

The Court found the NDPS Act's mandatory search safeguards weren't followed, the passport contradicted the prosecution's timeline, the "consent letter" was inconsistent and unwitnessed, and a seized pet dog's disappearance corroborated the frame-up claim. It acquitted him and ordered his release.

Lesson Learnt

Strict compliance with NDPS search-and-seizure safeguards is not a formality: procedural lapses combined with unexplained documentation gaps can overturn even a serious narcotics conviction.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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