SC seeks 10 years’ data on drug seizure
Taking a serious view of the growing incidence of drug trafficking in the country and poor records of the states to curb the menace, the Supreme Court in a verdict has sought reports from state chief secretaries about their records for the past 10 years on the measures taken to implementation various laws in this regard.
The verdict was passed by a bench of Justices T.S. Thakur and Gyan Sudha Misra on July 3 on an appeal of the Union government against MP HC verdict acquitting some accused. It was made available to the media on Thursday. Drawing a questionnaire for seeking a data from the DGP by the chief secretary of each state, the apex court also directed that the registrar general of the high court of each state function as “nodal officer” to ensure collection of the data. The registrar would in turn submit a report to the apex court.
The top court also found that there were few forensic laboratories to provide quick test reports to the courts in drug trafficking cases. It said that nearly 57 per cent samples sent to labs were still pending with them.
The major aspects dealt by the top court in its questionnaire laid down in he verdict included, seizure of the narcotic drugs, storage of the same till the cases were disposed off by the courts, destruction of the same after the case is over and judicial supervision.
The SC also reminded the Centre, apart form the states about their obligations to implement various laws enacted to curb drug trafficking in the light of the 1985 UN Convention on illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and the 1990 Saarc Convention on the issue. “There cannot be anything worse than the society suffering on account of the greed or negligence of those who are entrusted with duty of protecting it against the menace of that is capable of eating into its vitals,” the top court in the verdict recorded while pointing out that various studies had shown how a large number of youth were falling victims of drug abuse. “We, therefore, consider it necessary to direct collection of the information from police of each state through chief secretary about the seizure in last 10 years with year-wise and district-wise data,” the top court said.
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