HP: British tourist's bail plea rejected, remanded to judicial custody

A local court on Tuesday rejected bail plea of a British tourist who had been arrested last month in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district for allegedly carrying 568 gram of charas, police said.

Rejecting the bail application of Paul Stanton (54), the Kullu court remanded him to judicial custody till December 13, Kullu Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh said.

Stanton was produced in court after his judicial remand had expired, the SP told PTI.

He was arrested on November 17 in Bajaura during checking of a Haryana Roadways bus in which he was travelling.

A case under Section 20 (cannabis) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act had been registered against Stanton at the Bhuntar police station.

After his arrest, the 54-year-old had been remanded to police custody for several days. Subsequently, he was on judicial remand till Tuesday.

Stanton had come to India over a month ago before his arrest and was staying at a hotel in Manali, according to the SP.

During interrogation, Stanton claimed that an unknown person had given him the contraband during trekking, he added.