Emeka Prince Lath v. State NCT of Delhi

Delhi HC23 Apr 2026BAIL APPLN./1576/2026

Case brief

AI extract

What is this about?

Delhi High Court bail order 23.04.2026; BAIL APPLN. 1576/2026; Section 21 NDPS Act 1985; 602 grams heroin commercial quantity; FIR No.391/2022 P.S. Tilak Nagar; foreign national, forged visa/documents; 11 witnesses examined; bail application withdrawn / not pressed; liberty to reapply if trial exceeds six months; trial expedition request; rights and contentions reserved; Justice Manoj Jain; State NCT of Delhi.

What did the court decide?

Application disposed of as not pressed; liberty granted to the applicant to invoke this Court's jurisdiction again if the trial is not completed within six months; all rights and contentions of the parties reserved; Trial Court requested to accord priority and conclude the matter expeditiously. No bail merits adjudicated. ¶¶23

Emeka Prince Lath Vs State NCT of Delhi — Narcotics (NDPS) | Delhi HC (2026)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

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Issue for consideration

Whether regular bail should be granted to the applicant, a foreign national arraigned under Section 21 of the NDPS Act, 1985 in FIR No.391/2022 (P.S. Tilak Nagar) involving recovery of 602 grams of heroin (commercial quantity). +1 more

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Court's answer

After learned counsel for the applicant, without prejudice to his rights and contentions, did not press the application, the Court disposed of the bail application as not pressed.

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Ratio / Principle

Liberty, as prayed for, was granted to the applicant — i.e., to approach this Court again for bail if the trial is not over within six months.

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Key takeaways

All rights and contentions of the parties were expressly reserved by the Court while disposing of the application.ratio¶¶25
The Learned Trial Court was requested to give requisite priority to the criminal matter and to make best efforts to dispose it of as expeditiously as possible.ratio¶¶26

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Delhi High Court (ManoJ Jain, J.), Order dated 23.04.2026 in BAIL APPLN. 1576/2026: Emeka Prince Lath, a foreign national whose presence in India rests on a forged Visa and other documents, had sought regular bail in case FIR No.391/2022 dated 08.04.2022, P.S. Tilak Nagar, for offence under Section 21, NDPS Act, 1985, pertaining to recovery of 602 grams of heroin (commercial quantity); prosecution had examined 11 witnesses including one recovery witness. Midway through arguments, counsel for the applicant, without prejudice, did not press the application; it was accordingly disposed of as not pressed, with liberty granted to re-invoke this Court if the trial is not over within six months, all rights and contentions reserved, and a request to the Trial Court to prioritise and dispose of the matter expeditiously. The bail merits were not adjudicated; no precedent was cited or applied.

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$~76

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

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- BAIL APPLN. 1576/2026

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EMEKA PRINCE LATH .....Petitioner

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Through: Mr. Chetan Bhardwaj with Ms. Priyal Bhardwaj, Advocates.

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versus

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STATE NCT OF DELHI .....Respondent Through: Ms. Priyanka Dalal, APP for the State with SI Sandeep Anti Narcotics Squad, West.

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CORAM:

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HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE MANOJ JAIN

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O R D E R % 23.04.2026

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CRL.M.A. 12601/2026 (exemption)

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Exemption allowed subject to all just exceptions.

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BAIL APPLN. 1576/2026

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Applicant seeks regular bail in case arising out of FIR No.391/2022 dated 08.04.2022, registered at P.S. Tilak Nagar, for commission of offence under Section 21 of Narcotic Drugs And Psychotropic Substances (NDPS), Act, 1985.

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The case pertains to recovery of 602 grams of heroin, which is commercial in nature.

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Prosecution has so far examined 11 witnesses, including one recovery witness.

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The applicant is a foreign national and his presence in India is based on forged Visa and other documents.

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BAIL APPLN. 1576/2026

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This is a digitally signed order.

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The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 27/04/2026 at 11:19:51

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After hearing arguments for some time, learned counsel for the applicant, without prejudice to his rights and contentions, does not press the present application. He, however, supplements that learned Trial Court may be requested to expedite the trial and in case the trial is not over within a period of six months, he may be permitted to invoke the jurisdiction of this Court again.

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In view of the above, the application is disposed of as not pressed.

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Liberty, as prayed is granted.

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All rights and contentions of the parties are reserved.

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Learned Trial Court is also requested to give requisite priority to the abovesaid criminal matter and to make best efforts to dispose it of as expeditiously as possible.

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MANOJ JAIN, J

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APRIL 23, 2026 st/js

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BAIL APPLN. 1576/2026

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This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 27/04/2026 at 11:19:51

Emeka Prince Lath v. State NCT of Delhi

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Emeka Prince Lath v. State NCT of Delhi

Case brief

What is this about?

What did the court decide?

Why is it important?

What the court decided

Issues for consideration

Statutes considered

Procedural history

Parties & counsel

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