27 October,2026 08:46 AM IST | Mumbai | Vinod Kumar Menon
Representation pic/istock
A young data science professional has approached the Bombay High Court seeking removal of his name from a police conviction register after a corporate background check reportedly cost him his software engineering job.
A Rs 2000 fine for allegedly smoking ganja has had lasting professional consequences for a young IT professional, who says his conviction surfaced during a corporate background check and led to the loss of his software engineering job.
He has now approached the Bombay High Court, seeking removal of his name from the Borivli police station conviction register.
December 30, 2023: According to the petition, the man, then 22, was approached by police personnel in plain clothes while at General Arun Kumar Vaidya Maidan in Borivli West with four friends. Though he maintained he had not consumed drugs, he was taken to Borivli police station, medically examined and booked under Section 8(c) read with Section 27 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
March 5, 2024: He pleaded guilty before the 26th Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Borivali and was fined Rs 2000. His lawyer, Advocate Dinesh D Tiwari, said the petitioner had been persuaded by relatives and counsel to plead guilty to end the matter quickly, without fully understanding the consequences.
March-April 2025: The petitioner secured a software engineering job at a Navi Mumbai firm, but his employment was terminated the following month after a background check reportedly flagged the conviction, according to his counsel. He now works as a data science trainer, Tiwari said. The petitioner holds a BTech in mechanical engineering and a postgraduate diploma in big data analytics from C-DAC.
The criminal writ petition, filed under Article 226 through Dinesh D Tiwari and Associates, including Advocate Pulkeshi Gaikwad, challenges the recording of minor drug-consumption convictions under Chapter III, Rule 70 of the Bombay Police Manual, 1959. The petitioner argues that such entries can create a lasting stigma and undermine rehabilitation. His counsel contends that the law should distinguish between minor consumption offences and drug trafficking.
The petitioner has asked the High Court to:
>> Read down Rule 70 so it does not apply to what he describes as trivial consumer offences under the NDPS Act.
>> Direct the authorities to remove his name and particulars from the Borivli Police Station Conviction Register and associated criminal records.
>> Alternatively, grant relief under Sections 3 and 4 of the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958.
Advocate Dinesh D Tiwari, counsel for the petitioner
"It is a misinterpretation of the law to enter the names of persons booked for minor offences in a police station's conviction register. Secondly, the NDPS Act is a reformative statute, and Section 64A provides an opportunity for eligible first-time consumers to undergo rehabilitation. Therefore, an individual who voluntarily pleaded guilty before the court under a misunderstanding, without properly comprehending the pros and cons, deserves relief."
Adv Prasannan Namboodiri, former Narcotics Control Bureau officer
"It is unfortunate that a young man missed out on employment opportunities simply because his name appeared in police records as a convict. Under Section 27 of the NDPS Act, an offender might pay a fine and evade jail time, but the ideal legal pathway - provided under Section 64A - is to volunteer for rehabilitation and earn immunity from prosecution. Anyone caught in such a situation should exercise their right to voluntary de-addiction and undergo rehabilitation, rather than settling for a summary trial and facing long-term career hurdles."
