81-year-old arrested for growing marijuana in Palghar, he says he didn't know it was illegal

MUMBAI: An 81-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly cultivating cannabis on a huge tract of land in Boisar taluka of Palghar district on Monday.
The Boisar MIDC police said that the accused, Indradev Bajgovind (81), had been using the cannabis, also known as marijuana or ganja, for personal consumption. Acting on a tip-off, the police raided the farm in Nevale village, Boisar.The police found nearly 200 plants in the field and seized 905gm marijuana. "The owner of the land had commissioned construction of an ashram there and had given the task of running it to Bajgovind. The construction is underway and the accused began growing marijuana," said an officer.
Bajgovind told the police that he was unaware about marijuana being illegal. He has been booked under sections 20(a),8(a)(b)(k) of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and remanded in police custody. The police said that they will question the land owner.