Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 1 : The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday rejected the bail pleas of 17 accused, including Bhola Jaiswal and Vibhor Rana, in the codeine-based cough syrup case, while granting relief to several other accused.
The court had reserved its order after hearing the bail applications of several accused who are currently lodged in jail in connection with the alleged illegal purchase, sale and supply of codeine-based cough syrup.
Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal heard the bail pleas and had fixed September 1 for pronouncing the order.
The case pertains to the alleged large-scale smuggling and illegal sale of codeine-based cough syrup, which was allegedly being diverted for use as an intoxicant. Following the alleged discovery of the network in Uttar Pradesh, police registered multiple FIRs across several districts and arrested several people.
The accused subsequently approached the High Court seeking bail.
Additional Advocate General Anoop Trivedi, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, opposed the bail pleas. The prosecution alleged that large-scale transactions were carried out using fake bills and that the quantity of cough syrup involved was far beyond the permitted limit.
The prosecution also argued that the accused failed to provide evidence explaining the source of the large quantity of codeine-based cough syrup and its intended destination.
Counsel for the accused, however, argued that the petitioners were valid licence holders and had been falsely implicated in the case.
After hearing the arguments from both sides, the High Court rejected the bail pleas of 17 accused, including Jaiswal and Rana, while granting bail to several others.
The investigation into the alleged illegal supply network and the role of various accused is underway. Further proceedings in the case are expected to continue.