The Supreme Court refused bail to a 60-year-old woman facing allegations under the Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
During the hearing, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra made remarks about the petitioner’s repeated involvement in comparable offences, stating that she had “lost the credibility of being a lady.”
The Bench comprised Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar and was dealing with a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against an order dated March 26, 2026 passed by the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The High Court had rejected her fourth bail application.
As per the prosecution case, the woman was allegedly involved in the sale of narcotic substances.
The prosecution relied on a memorandum statement attributed to the police, in which she allegedly admitted to having sold narcotics earlier and claimed that she resumed such activity several months before her arrest.
The defence, however, argued that the statement was self-contradictory and unreliable.
The woman's legal counsel argued for leniency and bail based on her advanced age (60 years old), her medical conditions (diabetes and hypertension), and the fact that the trial was progressing very slowly.
Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra strongly rejected these grounds, pointing specifically to her extensive criminal history and repeated involvement in similar narcotics offenses.
During the arguments, Justice Mishra remarked: “Why are you doing all this? You should lead a very decent life at this age... You have lost the credibility of being a lady… You are no longer a lady, you are a Lady Don.”
The Supreme Court dismissed her petition, signaling that gender, health, or age cannot be used as an automatic shield to bypass strict statutory provisions like Section 37 of the NDPS Act when a habitual criminal history is evident.
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