(1) In any prosecution for an offence under this Act which requires a culpable mental state of the accused, the Court shall presume the existence of such mental state but it shall be a defence for the accused to prove the fact that he had no such mental state with respect to the act charged as an offence in that prosecution.
Explanation.— In this section "culpable mental state" includes intention, motive knowledge of a fact and belief in, or reason to believe, a fact.
(2) For the purpose of this section, a fact is said to be proved only when the court believes it to exist beyond a reasonable doubt and not merely when its existence is established by a preponderance of probability.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 35
Section 35 establishes a statutory presumption of culpable mental state (mens rea) against the accused in NDPS prosecutions.
Section 35 establishes a statutory presumption of culpable mental state, placing the burden upon the accused to prove the absence of conscious possession.
Section 35 reverses one of the most sacred principles of Anglo-Saxon criminal law: the presumption of innocence. Once the state proves physical recovery from a suspect, the law presumes criminal intent, forcing the accused to prove their innocence.