ANF moves SC against bail granted to Rana Sanaullah in narcotics case

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The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on Wednesday challenged in the Supreme Court the Lahore High Court’s decision to grant bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah in a narcotics case.

In its petition, the ANF has urged the apex court to repeal Sanaullah’s bail and return the PML-N lawmaker to the force’s custody. According to the ANF’s petition, the LHC’s decision to grant bail to the PML-N leader is contrary to the law.

The LHC, on December 24, had granted bail to Rana Sanaullah in the narcotics case against two surety bonds worth Rs 1 million each.

On July 1, 2019, the former Punjab law minister was arrested by the ANF Lahore team while he was travelling from Faisalabad to Lahore near the Ravi Toll Plaza on motorway, claiming to have seized 15 kilogrammes heroin from his vehicle. A special team of the force had also arrested five others, including the driver and security guards of the PML-N leader.

An FIR was lodged under Section 9(C) of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997, which carries death penalty or life imprisonment or a jail term that may extend to 14 years, along with a fine up to Rs 1 million.

A special court for Control of Narcotics Substance (CNS) had on September 20 dismissed a bail petition by Sanaullah while releasing five co-suspects. On November 9, a second bail petition filed by rana Sanaullah was also dismissed by a CNS court.

The PML-N leader had filed a bail petition in the LHC on October 2. The petition was, however, withdrawn the next day, to file the same at a later stage. In December, Sanaullah had once again petitioned the LHC for post-arrest bail. The PML-N lawmaker was granted bail by the high court on December 24, 2019. agencies