NIA Court Rejects Bail Plea of Accused Woman in Rs 500 Crore Heroin Smuggling Case for Marriage

AHMEDABAD: The Special NIA court in Gujarat turned down the request for temporary bail made by Tamanna Gupta, a crucial accused in a high-profile Rs 500 crore heroin smuggling case. The plea was made to enable her participation in her engagement and impending marriage ceremonies. Tamanna Gupta, a resident of Amritsar, was transferred from Punjab to a Gujarat jail in March 2022 in connection with the said case. The accused has been detained for nearly three years in relation to the charges.

Tamanna Gupta’s lawyer presented an affidavit from both her mother and fiance, asserting the need for her temporary release for the wedding events. The defense emphasized that she had been falsely implicated and that the National Investigation Agency had already filed a charge sheet in August 2022, suggesting that there was no further investigation pending. However, the prosecution countered by arguing that the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the CrPC do not allow for interim bail.

Special Judge K D Dave, presiding over the case, stated, “Interim bail is granted to the accused only on exigent grounds like death or medical emergency, whereas in the present case the applicant-accused has sought interim bail for engagement.” The court upheld the serious nature of the charges against Gupta as a critical factor in the decision.

Notably, The heroin smuggling case implicates eight individuals, including Tamanna Gupta, who were charged last year. The drugs were discovered on a Pakistani boat named Al Madina off the coast of Jakhau in May 2021. Notably, in a previous case in 2020, Tamanna Gupta was convicted for her involvement in a drug seizure case in Punjab, further complicating her current legal predicament.