Landmark Conviction: 20-Year Sentence in Bhubaneswar Drug Case

Chittaranjan Sahoo has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Bhubaneswar court for his involvement in a drugs case under the NDPS Act. The court also imposed a Rs 1 lakh fine. He was arrested in May 2023 with 1,100 grams of brown sugar.

A Bhubaneswar court has handed down a landmark sentence of 20 years of rigorous imprisonment to Chittaranjan Sahoo, convicted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, for drug trafficking activities.

In addition to the sentence, the court imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Sahoo. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional year of imprisonment, according to court authorities.

The case dates back to May 2023 when Sahoo was apprehended by the Odisha Crime Branch's Special Task Force from a residence in Bhubaneswar with 1,100 grams of brown sugar. This marks the fourth instance in Odisha of the maximum punishment being applied under the NDPS Act.