MUMBAI, Aug. 5 -- The sessions court on Monday discharged two men who were named as accused in a 2024 pharmaceutical drug seizure case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, observing that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against them. On June 12, 2024, the Azad Maidan Unit of the Anti-Barcotics Cell seized 2,160 tablets and 74 strips containing pheniramine maleate from a parked handcart close to a rickshaw stand in front of the Kismat Hostel near Masjid Station. Three men were booked in the case, out of which accused No. 3, in his statement to the ANC, had admitted that the contraband material belonged to him. While hearing the plea of Saddam Sheikh and Imran Khan, the owners of the handcart seeking to be discharged from the case, additional sessions judge RB Rote said, "I find that the evidence as collected during the investigation, and as relied on by the prosecution, is not sufficient to frame charges against accused No. 1 and 2." Moreover, the prosecution primarily relied on witness statements and the seizure panchnama. The court noted that the witnesses who spoke about the accused were not present at the scene and their information was based on hearsay. "Such type of statements cannot be the basis for framing charges against the accused persons," the court said. The court further highlighted the absence of forensic evidence or any chemical analysis linking the seized drugs to the accused. Regarding the nature of the substance, the court noted that the recovered pheniramine maleate did not qualify as a commercial quantity under the NDPS Act, which further weakened the case....