THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Accused in perhaps Kerala’s biggest ganja cases escaped from clutches of law on Monday, thanks to the lapses of Kerala police.

The accused are three persons caught in April 2018 from the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College premises with 135 kg ganja. The court finally cancelled the charge sheet against them and ordered their release after the police failed to follow the Supreme Court instruction that the police officer who filed the case should not investigate and submit the charge sheet.

The case might have resulted in sentencing the accused up to 24 years in jail.

The accused had transported ganja from Andhra via Tamil Nadu in three cars. The Medical College CI, who filed the case, himself had investigated and submitted the charge sheet, which turned out to be a setback for the police.

The Supreme Court had in August last year issued guidelines on investigating Narcotics cases. According to that, an officer having higher rank than the officer who filed the case should investigate the case and file the charge sheet. This instruction was aimed at making such cases more transparent.

But the Medical police failed to follow this guidelines. The counsel of the accused pointed this out in Additional district sessions court and got the charge sheet cancelled.

The accused who escaped from punishment are accused in several other cases under Goonda Act.