Naveen Verma was convicted by the Trial Court under Section 21 of the NDPS Act after 29.17g of heroin was recovered from his seat on an HRTC bus at the Shoghi barrier on 12.10.2022, and he was sentenced to 3 years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 50,000. On appeal, the Himachal Pradesh High Court examined whether Section 50 NDPS Act was violated, whether minor contradictions among prosecution witnesses were fatal, and whether the chain of custody of the seized contraband was properly maintained. The Court held that Section 50 NDPS Act did not apply as the recovery was from a bag/seat and not from a personal search of the accused, and that minor discrepancies in witness testimony did not go to the core of the prosecution case. The Court further held that the chain of custody was intact, police testimony was reliable, and non-examination of some witnesses was not fatal to the prosecution. However, applying the proportionality principle, the Court found the 3-year sentence excessive given that the quantity (28.330g) was far below the commercial quantity threshold of 250g under Section 21(b) NDPS Act.