ORDER
G.S. Chahal, J.
1. The State of Punjab has preferred this revision against the order dated 21-7-90, passed by Sh. Gurjit Singh Sandhu, Sessions Judge, Sangrur, vide which the respondent was ordered to be discharged in respect of case, FIR No. 44 dated 12-4-89, registered for offence under Section 21 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (the Act in brief), at Police Station Malerkotla.
2. The case against the respondent was registered on the allegations that he was found in possession of 6 kilo 500 grams of intoxicant tablets on 12-4-89, without any permit or licence. The sample was sent to Forensic Science Laboratory, Chandigarh which gave the opinion that the tablets contained Barbiturate. The learned Sessions Judge, after hearing the parties, recorded a finding that the Barbiturate was not a salt, as described in the Schedule of the Act and as such, no offence was made out.
3. Section 2(xxiii) of the Act, defines “psycho-tropic substance” as follows:
“Psychotropic substance” means any substance, natural or synthetic, or any natural material or any salt or preparation of such substance or material included in the list of psychotropic substances specified in the Schedule.”
4. The Random House Dictionary of the English Language defines ‘barbiturate’ as follows:
“Chem, any of a group of barbituric acid derivatives used in medicine as sedatives and hypnotics”.
5. In “A Dictionary of Drugs by Richard B. Fisher and George A. Christie 1971”, it has been stated that Barbiturates are a class of synthetic drugs and derivates of urea, one of the most common body wastes, plus another organic compound, melonic acid. It further records:
“All barbiturates can be addictive; they tend to create both a physiological and a psychic dependence. The danger of poisoning is greatly increased if any of these agents is injected, the method of self-administration recently favoured by addicts. Withdrawal may produce typical symptoms, and can be fatal if it is too sudden.”
At page 197 of the Dictionary, Phenobarbi-tone. U.S.: Phenobarbital has been described. It is stated that Phenobarbitone is the second oldest in a widely used class of synthetic drugs called barbiturates. The first was barbitone (U.S.: barbital: 1902). The term’barbiturates’ is, thus, a wider term to include all drugs which are derivatives of barbituric acid.
6. In the Schedule, the list of “psychotro pic substances” includes names of Barbiturates in 7 items, namely:
THE SCHEDULE
(See Clause (xxiii) of section 2)
LIST OF PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES
Sl. International non-pro- Other non- Chemical name
No prietary names proprietary
Names
________________________________________________________________________________
24 AMOBARBITAL 5-Ethyl-5-(3-methylbutyl)
barbi-turic acid
25 CYCLOBARBITAL 5-(1-Cyclohexen-1-yl)-5-othyl-
barbituric acid
28 PENTOBARBITAL 5-Ethyl-5-(1-methylbutyl) barbi-
turic acid
29 SECOBARBITAL 5-Allyl-5-(1-methylbutyl)
barbituric acid
32 BARBITAL 5. 5-Diethylbarbituric acid
61 METHYLPHENOBARBITAL 5-Ethyl-1-methyl-5-phonylbar-
bituric acid
69 PHENOBARBITAL 5-Ethyl-5-phenylbarbituric acid
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7. The Schedule item takes note of seven barbiturates and these drugs, though having different compositions and international names will fall in the larger term of ‘barbiturates’. The learned Sessions Judge was not justified in recording a finding that the tablets which contained barbiturates could not fall within the list of psychotropic substances, included in the Schedule. The prosecution should be given an opportunity to show that barbiturates found in the recovered tablets form part of one of the items specified in the Schedule. The order of discharge is, thus, not justified.
8. I hereby accept the revision and after setting aside the impugned order of discharge direct the trial Court to proceed, with the trial to the light of the directions.