Bail plea of Mizoram's ex-CIC rejected in drug trafficking

A special court here today rejected the bail plea of former Mizoram Chief Information Commissioner Robert Hrangdawla, who was arrested and remanded in judicial custody for allegedly trafficking pseudoephedrine to Myanmar.
Hrangdawla, a retired IAS officer was arrested by the state health department's Food and Drugs Administration inspectors and produced before the court on October 4.
Hrangdawla's advocate Joseph L. Renthlei pleaded that his client did not illegally smuggle drugs as he was a drug licence-holder and that he should be released from the central jail on bail on medical grounds.
Special Drugs and Cosmetics Act court judge Vanlalenmawia ruled that the health condition of the accused should be examined within two days. The bail plea would be heard again after the opinion of the medical experts are available, he said.

State taxation department officials had seized 10 lakh medicine tablets suspected to be pseudoephedrine on February 22 at the Lengpui Airport near here. The consignment was allegedly sent by Dehradun-based Cooper Pharma Limited to R and R Medicare, owned by Hrangdawla, officials said.
He was handed over to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors who booked him under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Such suspicious consignments had been moved through the Lengpui airport several times, the officials said.
The state Excise and Narcotics department officials had attempted to arrest him in October 2015 also for suspected smuggling of pseudoephedrine but gave up after learning that he has a drug license to import the drug.

FDA Joint Director Lalsawma said that the accused was arrested as he did not maintain records on how he disposed the drugs.