A Bhubaneswar court on Wednesday sentenced Padmanabh Behera, a resident of Puri district, to life imprisonment for possessing and trafficking illegal cough syrup in a 2022 case.
Additional Sessions Judge-II, Bandana Kar pronounced the verdict in the case registered by the Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Crime Branch. The seizure had taken place in May 2022 in the Bharatpur police station area of Bhubaneswar.
After examining the evidence, including statements of seven prosecution witnesses and documentary proof, the court found Behera guilty under Section 274 of the Indian Penal Code.
Along with rigorous life imprisonment, the court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000. In default of payment of the fine, the convict will undergo an additional one year of imprisonment.
The case was conducted on behalf of the state by Assistant Public Prosecutor Sai Ranjan Mahanandia.
The judgment is being seen as a strong message against the illegal trade of pharmaceutical drugs often misused as intoxicants in Odisha.
