The petitioner, Vishal Mahanta (aged 22), filed a regular bail petition before the Himachal Pradesh High Court in connection with FIR No. 125 of 2026 registered at Police Station West, Shimla, for an offence under Section 21 of the NDPS Act. The prosecution alleged that on 25 June 2026, acting on credible secret information, police intercepted a vehicle and recovered 27 grams of heroin from a carry bag held by the petitioner, which was subsequently confirmed as diacetylmorphine (heroin) by FSL analysis. The petitioner's counsel argued that the quantity recovered was 'intermediate' and therefore the stringent bail conditions under Section 37 of the NDPS Act did not apply, and that the petitioner had no criminal antecedents. The State opposed bail, contending that the petitioner was involved in heroin trafficking and that releasing him could hamper ongoing investigation into forward and backward linkages. The court heard both sides and extensively considered Supreme Court precedents on the principles governing grant of bail, but the judgment text as provided does not record a final operative order.