Chandigarh, March 22 -- Convicting a man who was caught with ganja and a pistol in 2023, a local court has sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. Arun Kumar, 32, was on his scooter carrying the drug and the firearm when cops, owing to his suspicious behaviour, stopped him near the CTU workshop in Raipur Kalan on September 12 2023. A search resulted in the recovery of 20.3-kg ganja and a country-made pistol, following which an FIR was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act on the statement of an assistant sub-inspector at Mauli Jagran police station. The recovery of such quantity of drug falls under the commercial category, the court noted. Arun claimed that he was innocent and falsely implicated. However, the court ruled that his guilt was established beyond reasonable doubt. While the quantum of sentence was pronounced on Friday, the convict pleaded that he was the only breadwinner of the family. He mentioned that he has elderly parents who he needs to look after. The prosecution, meanwhile, argued that the convict was found in possession of a commercial quantity of ganja and was also convicted under the Arms Act for carrying a pistol at the time of the arrest. Special court judge Hargunjit Kaur observed, "Narcotics are spoiling the future of youth of the country and every fabric of the society. The menace of drug trafficking has attained alarming proportions which has posed a great threat to the nation. In view of this, a person who has been found guilty of keeping in his conscious possession a narcotic and psychotropic substance cannot be allowed to go away lightly. Sentencing has to be such which may serve as a lesson not only for the convict but all of his ilk." Besides 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, the convict was also fined Rs.1 lakh for the drug offence. Regarding the firearm seizure under the Arms Act, he was sentenced to seven years in jail and fined Rs.2,000. He also received a six-month jail term for offences under Section 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). All the sentences will run concurrently....