Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985
36A. Offences triable by Special Courts
(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973,-
(a) all offences under this Act shall be
triable only by the Special Court constituted for the area in which the offence
has been committed or where there are more Special Courts than one for such
area, by such one of them as may be specified in this behalf by the Government;
(b) where a person accused of or suspected of
the commission of an offence under this Act is forwarded to a Magistrate under
sub-section (2) or sub-section (2A) of section 167 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973, such Magistrate may authorize the detention of such person in
such custody as he thinks fit for a period not exceeding fifteen days in the
whole where such Magistrate is a Judicial Magistrate and seven days in the
whole where such Magistrate is an Executive Magistrate:
Provided that where such Magistrate considers-
(i) when such person is forwarded to him as
aforesaid; or
(ii) upon or at any time before the expiry of
the period of detention authorized by him, that the detention of such person is
unnecessary, he shall order such person to be forwarded to the Special Court
having jurisdiction;
(c) the Special Court may exercise, in
relation to the person forwarded to it under clause (b), the same power which a
Magistrate having jurisdiction to try a case may exercise under section 167 of
the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, in relation to an accused person in such
case who has been forwarded to him under that section;
(d) a Special Court may, upon a perusal of
police report of the facts constituting an offence under this Act or upon a
complaint made by an officer of the Central Government or a State Government
authorized in the behalf, take cognizance of that offence without the accused
being committed to it for trial.
(2) When trying an offence under this Act, a Special Court may
also try an offence other than an offence under this Act, with which the
accused may, under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, be charged at the same
trial.
(3) Nothing contained in this section shall be deemed
to affect the special powers of the High Court regarding bail under
section 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and the High Court may
exercise such powers including the power under clause (b) of sub-section (1) of
that section as if the reference to "Magistrate" in that section
included also a reference to a "Special Court" constituted
under section 36.