Vijaysinh Chandubha Jadeja v State of Gujarat

Question to be decided was  whether Section 50 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (“the NDPS Act”) cast a duty on the empowered officer to‘inform’ the suspect of his  right to be searched in the presence of a Gazetted Officer or a Magistrate, if he so desires or whether a mere enquiry by the said officer as to whether the suspect would like to be searched in the presence of a Magistrate or a Gazetted Officer can be said to be due compliance with the mandate of the Section.

Referring to the judgment of the Supreme Court in Baldev Singh v State of Punjab 1999(6)SCC 172, it held that although the Constitution Bench in Baldev Singh’s case did not decide in absolute terms the question whether or not Section 50 of the NDPS Act was directory or mandatory yet it was held that provisions of sub-section (1) of Section 50 make it imperative for the empowered officer to “inform” the person concerned (suspect) about the existence of his right that if he so requires, he shall be searched before a Gazetted Officer or a Magistrate; failure to “inform” the suspect about the existence of his said right would cause prejudice to him, and in case he so opts, failure to conduct his search before a Gazetted Officer or a Magistrate, may not vitiate the trial but would render the recovery of the illicit article suspect and vitiate the conviction and sentence of an accused, where the conviction has been recorded only on the basis of the possession of the illicit article, recovered from the person during a search conducted in violation of the provisions of Section 50 of the NDPS Act. The Court also noted that it was not necessary that the information required to be given under Section 50 should be in a prescribed form or in writing but it was mandatory that the suspect was made aware of the existence of his right to be searched before a Gazetted Officer or a Magistrate, if so required by him.

The court after discussing the earlier authorities concluded that the object with which right under Section 50(1) of the NDPS Act, by way of a safeguard, has been conferred on the suspect,  to check the misuse of power, to avoid harm to innocent persons and to minimise the allegations of planting or foisting of false cases by the law enforcement agencies; it would be imperative on the part of the empowered officer to apprise the person intended to be searched of his right to be searched before a Gazetted Officer or a Magistrate. It held that  the obligation of the authorised officer under sub-section (1) of Section 50 of the NDPS Act  is mandatory and require a strict compliance. Failure to comply with the provision would render the recovery of the illicit article suspect and vitiate the conviction if the same is recorded only on the basis of the recovery of the illicit article from the person of the accused during such search. It further held that the concept of “substantial compliance” with the requirement of Section 50 of the NDPS Act introduced and read into the mandate of the said Section in Joseph Fernandez 2001(1)SCC 707 and Prabha Shankar Dubey 2004(2)SCC 56 is neither borne out from the language of sub-section (1) of Section 50 nor it is in consonance with the dictum laid down in Baldev Singh’s case. It also suggested that in order to impart authenticity, transparency and creditworthiness to the entire proceedings, in the first instance, an endeavour should be to produce the suspect before the nearest Magistrate, who enjoys more confidence of the common man compared to any other officer.