a Chandigarh court, in India, awarded capital punishment to...

a Chandigarh court, in India, awarded capital punishment to a 36-year-old heroin smuggler from Punjab. The convict, Balwinder Singh of Tarn Taran, was awarded the death penalty while the co-accused, Satnam Singh, a former jail warden with Sangrur jail, was sentenced to 12 years of rigorous imprisonment.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had first nabbed Sangrur jail superintendent Satnam Singh along with Balwinder Singh from the city in 2005 and recovered 4 kg of heroin from their possession. Balwinder Singh had managed to flee taking advantage of the darkness.
He was later arrested by the NCB from Amritsar in 2007, this time with 2 kg of heroin. He was convicted by an Amritsar court in 2009 which had sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. Balwinder was then tried in the Chandigarh court for his involvement in the 2005 case along with Satnam Singh.
While pronouncing the order, the Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shalini Nagpal stated, “Drug trafficking, trade and consumption are eating into the vitals of society. Drug consumption paralyses the mind, cripples the body and retards the intellect. Drug dependency weakens the morale and character of the youth and ultimately growth of the nation. The court cannot be a silent spectator to the grave situation and drug trafficking must be dealt with heavy hands”.
“When a person who has already been tried is convicted for the second time, he has to be punished with death. Offences related to drugs are more heinous than culpable homicide. For, the latter affects an individual while the former leaves its effect on society and cripples the nation,” added the judgment.