Srinagar, Nov 04, KDC: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has granted a 20-day transit protection to an Indian Army Major stationed in Samba, who figures as an accused in a heroin smuggling case being prosecuted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) in Manipur.
Disposing of a transit anticipatory bail application filed by Major Gaurav Manhas, Justice Sanjay Parihar directed the officer to surrender himself before the trial court in Churachandpur, Manipur, within 20 days. The court explicitly ordered that the officer shall not be arrested until he surrenders.
Major Manhas, 33, currently serving with the 3rd Battalion of the Madras Regiment in Samba, J&K, had approached the High Court after receiving repeated summons from the DRI’s Imphal Regional Unit, reported news agency Kashmir Dot Com.
According to the case records, the officer previously served as the Company Commander of the 37 Assam Rifles at the Suangdai Outpost in Churachandpur, Manipur, beginning in August 2024, before being posted back to Samba on August 7, 2026.
The legal trouble for the officer began when he received a summons under Section 67 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, dated June 19, 2026. The notice, issued by the DRI Imphal Unit, ordered his attendance in connection with an ongoing investigation into the smuggling of contraband drugs. Manhas complied with this first summons, appearing before the authorities on July 7, 2026, and submitting his statement in response to a questionnaire.
After assuming his duties in Samba, the DRI sent a second summons addressed to his Commanding Officer. However, the Army did not relieve him due to “operational engagements.” A third summons, explicitly naming Major Manhas, was issued on August 20, 2026, directing him to appear in Imphal on August 24—giving him just four days to travel from Samba to Manipur.
Apprehending imminent arrest, the officer filed for transit anticipatory bail in the J&K High Court. During an initial hearing on October 30, Justice Rahul Bharti noted that the summons was “very sweeping” and “unreasoned,” granting interim protection to the officer and summoning the DRI’s Senior Intelligence Officer with the case diary.
During the final hearing on Monday before Justice Sanjay Parihar, the Investigating Officer (IO) from the DRI, present in the court, submitted that sufficient material had been collected during the probe pointing to the Major’s involvement in the possession of narcotic substances.
The IO informed the court that the petitioner figures as an accused in a formal complaint (No. 07/CL/NDPS/HERION/DRI/IMP/2025-26) filed before the Special Judge, NDPS, in Churachandpur.
Following this revelation, the petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Kunal Saini, submitted that since the officer is serving in the Army, he required 20 days to appear before the Sessions Court in Manipur and surrender to its jurisdiction.
Taking his statement on record, Justice Parihar disposed of the petition, ordering: “…since the petitioner figures as an accused in a session trial case… without commenting upon the merits of the case, he is directed to surrender himself before the trial court within 20 days until then, he shall not be arrested.”
The High Court clarified that once the officer surrenders, this transit protection “shall cease to exist enabling the trial court of Special Judge, ND&PS, Churachandpur to proceed in accordance with law.” (KDC)