Topic

Fine in Criminal Cases

1 articleLatest April 2026
NDPS Act Sections 20, 25 & 29 | Separate Convictions Permitted but Fines Must Be Concurrent: Supreme Court
Case Law Analysis
|Supreme Court of India

NDPS Act Sections 20, 25 & 29 | Separate Convictions Permitted but Fines Must Be Concurrent: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has clarified that while multiple convictions under Sections 20, 25, and 29 of the NDPS Act can stand simultaneously, fines cannot be imposed separately if the sentences run concurrently. This prevents double punishment in financial penalties, protecting accused persons from disproportionate economic burden even when convicted on multiple counts for the same transaction.