Man gets 6-year RI for possession of narcotics

Mangaluru: The principal district and sessions court has sentenced a man to six years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) and fined Rs 50,000 for possession of narcotic substances.The principal district and sessions judge, Basavaraj, convicted the accused, TE Joseph, 42, of Charmadi village in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district. In case of failure to pay the fine, the ordered the convict to undergo an additional two months of RI.A police team led by Belthangady police sub-inspector Praveen GN conducted a raid on March 8, 2009, after receiving credible information that a person was illegally selling ganja to the public in Ujire. Joseph was apprehended during the raid near Rathabeedi in front of the Shri Janardhana Swamy Temple in Ujire village. Upon searching him, police found 1.5kg of ganja from his possession. Belthangady police registered a case under Sections 8(c) and 20(b) of NDPS Act.Meanwhile, the seized narcotic substance was sent to the forensic laboratory for examination. Sub-inspector BG Sulmapura Math filed a chargesheet before the court after completing the investigation. Since the accused failed to appear for trials for nearly 17 years, the court declared him an absconding accused and another case was registered in this connection.Public prosecutor Judith OM Crasta, who represented the state, examined nine witnesses and marked 16 documents as evidence. The court pronounced the accused guilty under sections 8(c) and 20(b)(ii)(B) of the NDPS Act on April 10 and announced the quantum of sentence on April 16.This is the second conviction against him for narcotics-related offences. He was previously convicted for possession of ganja and served five years of imprisonment in Shivamogga jail.Get real-time updates and result insights on the CBSE 12 Result 2026.