Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 14: In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) highlighting low conviction and more acquittals in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPSA) cases, Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Alok Aradhe today asked Chief Secretary to convene a meeting of the concerned departments and authorities to prepare an action plan for addressing the menace of drugs in the State.
DB further said that the action plan should include setting up of de-addition centers in various districts of the State and nodal officer/official for execution of the action plan be also identified.
In the PIL filed by law student Atharv Mahajan it has been submitted that during past some years the alarming proportion with which the drug abuse is catching up with the youths, including girls, is a cause of major worry. “The people think that the biggest threat to security is terrorism but the biggest threat is of drugs, which is polluting the brain of youth and killing them silently in much more speed than they are being killed through terrorism”, the petitioner said.
When the PIL came-up for hearing, Division Bench observed, “a status report has been filed by the Controller, Drugs and Food Control Organization in purported compliance of the order dated 12.09.2018 and a separate report has been filed by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu”, adding “the record shows that no action plan appears to have been formulated by any authority with regard to menace of drugs in the State”.
DB further observed, “a plan deserves to be formulated by the concerned departments which would include inputs from the Departments of Education, Social Welfare, Health and Family Welfare and Home as well as Police. The Jammu & Kashmir Legal Services Authority and the police also deserve to be joined”.
Accordingly, DB asked the Chief Secretary to convene a meeting of the concerned departments and authorities to carve out an action plan for addressing the menace of drugs in the State. “The action plan would include setting up of de-addition centers in various districts of the State. A nodal officer/official for execution of the action plan be also identified”, the DB added.
Stating that action plan with time line shall be placed before this court. DB directed respondents to place before this court the number of cases of juveniles, who stand implicated for acts of omission and commission under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. “The respondents shall also place before this court the details of pending cases under the NDPS Act within a period of three weeks”, the DB added.
As the counsel appearing for the Narcotics Control Bureau submitted that he has not received any instruction from his client, the DB directed Director/Incharge of the Narcotic Control Bureau, Jammu to remain present on the next date of hearing.
Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi and Advocate Deepika Mahajan appeared for the PIL whereas AAG Ravinder Gupta appeared for the State and Senior Panel Counsel R S Jamwal appeared for Union of India.
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