ABDUL SAMAD Vs. THE STATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) ABDUL Samad, the petitioner in this case, was found guilty under Section 5(a), Assam Opium Prohibition Act, 1947, by Mr. R. Medhi, Magistrate, 1st Class, Jorhat. He was sentenced to undergo R. I. for 5 years & was also ordered to pay a fine of Rs. 2,000/ - & in default of payment of fine to undergo R. I. for another year. Abdul Rahman & Abdul Rashid were also found guilty under Section 5 (a) of the Act. Alladit, who was tried along with abdul Samad & others, was found guilty of abetment. On appeal, the conviction & the sentence passed on Abdul Samad were upheld. Others were acquitted. Abdul samad has challenged the legality & the propriety of his conviction by this revision petition.

(2.) THE prosecution case was briefly as follows: On 30 -5 -1948, Abdul Rashid came to the Gatanga Post Office. He made inquiries from the Post master about parcels addressed to Mr. Hanray. He told the Postmaster that these parcels had been despatched from Calcutta. These parcels had not reached Gatanga Post office then. On 31 -5 -1948, Abdul Rahman came to the Post Office & inquired whether those parcels had reached or not. The parcels had not reached even till then, on 1 -6 -1948, Abdul Samad, the petitioner before us, visited the Post Office. He also inquired about the parcels. These parcels had reached the Post Office by that time. Abdul Samad came to the Post Office at about 9 A. M. He showed the Postmaster the original postal receipts showing the despatch of the parcels from Calcutta. These receipts had the same postal numbers as the parcels. The Postmaster, P. W. 3, declined to deliver the parcels without the signature of the addressee on the postal intimations that he was to issue & asked Abdul Samad to bring the addressee to the Post Office to sign them personally or to have the intimations signed by him. Abdul Samad left the Post Office with the receipts. He told the Postmaster that he would come back again at about 12 noon for taking delivery of the parcels. At about 7 P.M. that day, the petitioner along with Abdul Rahman & Abdul Rashid came to the Post Office in Alladit's car. They talked to the Postmaster & pressed for the delivery of the parcels to them. The Postmaster gave them 5 postal receipts duly filled in for the signature of the addressee. He was informed by the accused that Mr. Hanray, the addressee, was an Engineer on the Rowraiah Air Field & he could not attend personally. The petitioner with his companions then left the Post Office.

(3.) WE have heard his learned counsel. We think that the charge has been fully substantiated against him. He made inquiries about the parcels. He produced the postal receipts showing the despatch of these parcels from Calcutta. He also produced the postal receipts purporting to have been signed by the addressee Mr. Hanray, These facts have been proved beyond any reasonable doubt by the statements of Mr. Thomas, P. W. 2, & the Postmaster, P. W. 3.