Drug trafficking very concerning: Supreme Court seeks response from Centre, States on plea for reforms in NDPS Act

The Supreme Court on Monday said incidents of drug abuse and cases of trafficking were spreading across the country.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana made the observation while issuing notice to the Centre and various State governments on a petition seeking reforms in enforcement measures under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

"It is a very concerning situation. After all, it is up to the law and order machinery, and it is spreading across the country," CJI Kant said.

Justice Bagchi pointed to the cross-border trafficking of drugs, particularly in the Golden Crescent region of Asia.

"All these things are very relevant. With the international border as India has, you see the Golden Crescent, you see in Burma and in Afghanistan," the judge said.

The Court was hearing a petition moved by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay.

In his plea, Upadhyay argued that drug and substance abuse has nationwide ramifications as it gravely affects the health of youth and undermines national security through the nexus between drug trafficking and terror financing.

"I subscribe to English and Hindi newspapers. One common thing news - drug addict kills his parents or father," he told the Court.

He said there should be a mandatory timeline for submission of FSL reports in all NDPS cases and formulation of a standard operating procedure (SOP) for search, seizure and sampling in small and intermediate quantity cases.

The petition also seeks constitution of an expert committee for identification and timely scheduling of new psychotropic substances. Upadhyay has also prayed for a standard operating procedure (SOP) for time-bound investigation and speedy trial of the drugs cases.

The plea also seeks directions for timely confiscation of property of traffickers, financiers and their families.

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