The Allahabad high court on Thursday allowed habeas corpus petitions filed by Vibhor Rana and Vishal Singh, alleged kingpins of a codeine-based cough syrup trafficking racket, and quashed their detention under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988 (NDPS Act).
The petitioners had challenged detention orders dated July 7, 2026, passed against them under the NDPS Act. The court’s case status showed that the petitions had been allowed, though a detailed order was awaited. The bench comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Achal Sachdev passed the order after hearing counsel for the petitioners and the state government. They alleged that the orders suffered from non-application of mind and that Rana’s name subsequently surfaced in the investigation through statements attributed to co-accused persons. The petitioners also argued that the detention orders failed to establish a real possibility of their release from custody and their subsequent involvement in activities prejudicial to the objectives of the preventive detention law. The habeas corpus petitions sought quashing of the detention orders and their release.
