Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict in a case involving an 18-year-old student who was wrongfully arrested in Malhargarh in Mandsaur, in connection with an alleged opium trafficking case. The incident occurred in August earlier this year and the youth was charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Appearing in the court, Mandsaur Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Meena admitted that the team involved in the incident was from Malhargarh police station.
The SP acknowledged that proper investigation procedures were not followed and said a departmental inquiry has been initiated. He also said that six police officials had been suspended for wrongfully arresting the youth.
Hearing the case, Justice Subodh Abhyankar questioned why the investigating officer, who initially appeared in the court, had provided incorrect information. The SP admitted that serious lapses had occurred.
The court also noted that despite 55 police personnel being stationed at Malhargarh police station, legal procedures were not followed properly.
When the government argued that the trial court would clarify the situation, the court reacted sharply, So, will the youth have to wait 10 years for a decision?
After hearing the arguments of both sides, the court reserved its verdict.
Student picked from bus travelling to Pratapgarh
On August 29, 2025, Sohanlal (18) was forcibly picked up from a bus which was traveling from Mandsaur to Pratapgarh. The alleged incident was captured on CCTV cameras. According to reports, Sohanlal was taken to Malhargarh police station and a case was registered against him for allegedly possessing over 2.7kg opium. The next day, he was presented before a court in Mandsaur and sent to jail.
Sohanlal s family, represented by advocate Himanshu Thakur, stated that he had
recently passed 12th grade with first division and was preparing for PSC exams. He was
visiting relatives in Mandsaur when police allegedly removed him from the bus and took him to the police station.
CCTV footage submitted in court
Thakur had presented the CCTV footage from the bus in which Sohanlal was Travelling before the court. The footage showed that at around 11.15 am three persons escorted Sohanlal out of the bus.
The youth had claimed that the three persons were police personnel and on the same day at around 5.15 pm, the petitioner was apprehended along with 2.7 kg of opium, commercial quantity of which is 2.5 kg. The footage was presented in the High Court, disproving the police s earlier claims.
