<p>New Delhi: In a relief to the National Investigation Agency, the Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed its plea and ordered that a heroin smuggling case allegedly linked to the sensational <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/mundra-port">Mundra port</a> drug haul be transferred from a court in Punjab's Hoshiarpur to a special NIA court in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.</p><p>The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has filed a case in Gujarat and the second case is pending before a special court in Saket here.</p><p>The third case is pending before the court of the additional sessions judge in Hoshiarpur.</p>.<p>The NIA wanted the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/punjab">Punjab </a>case to be transferred to Ahmedabad for an effective trial.</p><p>In September 2021, DRI officials had found 2,988 kg heroin in a talc powder consignment at Mundra port. The consignment was imported from Afghanistan.</p><p>A bench comprising justices C T Ravikumar and Rajesh Bindal took note of the submissions of Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the NIA, that the central probe agency is seized of the investigation in the cases which are interlinked and related to one cause of action.</p>.CCB crackdown: 2 drug peddlers arrested; 7 rowdies detained in Bengaluru.<p>"The contraband was recovered from Mundra port in Gujarat and no purpose will be served with two separate trials in the connected cases," the law officer said.</p><p>He said, "The separate trials in Gujarat and Punjab will cause serious prejudice to the NIA."</p><p>The top court rejected the pleas of the accused that the trial in one of the cases should not be transferred to Gujarat.</p><p>On May 4 last year, the Supreme Court had issued notices to the accused on the transfer plea of the NIA.</p>.<p>The Ministry of Home Affairs had transferred the probe into the drugs haul to the NIA on December 27, 2021.</p><p>Earlier, the central probe agency had approached a Punjab court seeking transfer of the case to Ahmedabad, but the court had refused to entertain the application saying it did not have the jurisdiction to transfer the case.</p><p>In the case registered by Punjab Police, nine people have been named as accused and a trial was to be initiated in a special court in Hoshiarpur under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.</p><p>The NIA has listed all the accused arrested in Punjab and Delhi in its charge sheet filed in the Ahmedabad court. </p>
<p>New Delhi: In a relief to the National Investigation Agency, the Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed its plea and ordered that a heroin smuggling case allegedly linked to the sensational <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/mundra-port">Mundra port</a> drug haul be transferred from a court in Punjab's Hoshiarpur to a special NIA court in Gujarat's Ahmedabad.</p><p>The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has filed a case in Gujarat and the second case is pending before a special court in Saket here.</p><p>The third case is pending before the court of the additional sessions judge in Hoshiarpur.</p>.<p>The NIA wanted the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/punjab">Punjab </a>case to be transferred to Ahmedabad for an effective trial.</p><p>In September 2021, DRI officials had found 2,988 kg heroin in a talc powder consignment at Mundra port. The consignment was imported from Afghanistan.</p><p>A bench comprising justices C T Ravikumar and Rajesh Bindal took note of the submissions of Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the NIA, that the central probe agency is seized of the investigation in the cases which are interlinked and related to one cause of action.</p>.CCB crackdown: 2 drug peddlers arrested; 7 rowdies detained in Bengaluru.<p>"The contraband was recovered from Mundra port in Gujarat and no purpose will be served with two separate trials in the connected cases," the law officer said.</p><p>He said, "The separate trials in Gujarat and Punjab will cause serious prejudice to the NIA."</p><p>The top court rejected the pleas of the accused that the trial in one of the cases should not be transferred to Gujarat.</p><p>On May 4 last year, the Supreme Court had issued notices to the accused on the transfer plea of the NIA.</p>.<p>The Ministry of Home Affairs had transferred the probe into the drugs haul to the NIA on December 27, 2021.</p><p>Earlier, the central probe agency had approached a Punjab court seeking transfer of the case to Ahmedabad, but the court had refused to entertain the application saying it did not have the jurisdiction to transfer the case.</p><p>In the case registered by Punjab Police, nine people have been named as accused and a trial was to be initiated in a special court in Hoshiarpur under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.</p><p>The NIA has listed all the accused arrested in Punjab and Delhi in its charge sheet filed in the Ahmedabad court. </p>