P&H High Court Takes Suo Moto Cognizance Of Drug Trafficking At Punjab Border Area, Seeks NCB Data On Drug Addicts In Both States

The Punjab & Haryana High Court today took suo moto cognizance against drug trafficking at the border areas of Punjab.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ritu Bahri and  Justice Aman Chaudhary issued a notice to the states of Punjab and Haryana as well as the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

The bench stated that the Court is taking suo moto cognizance of a news item published in today's edition of the daily newspaper “The Pioneer” Chandigarh, "wherein it has been reported that the Border Security Force (BSF) has raised a concern of preventive detention of smugglers to combat drug smuggling and they have given a list of 75 individuals, who are suspected of involvement in drug trafficking, to the Punjab Police."

Details of seizures and recovery of narcotic items as well as rifles and pistols, effected in the year 2023, have also been mentioned in this news item. It has been reported that 755 Kg. of narcotic items, which were being supplied in India on the border by way of drones, have been recovered, it noted.

The Court further directed the States of Punjab and Haryana to file status reports concerning the steps being taken in pursuance of the report given to it by the BSF.

NCB has also been directed to file status reports giving details of the persons suffering from drug addiction in the States of Punjab and Haryana.

Adding that the narcotic items recovered in the State of Punjab, as reported in the news paper, are huge, the Court directed the States to give details of "what kind of steps can be taken to make persons, who till date are not in drug addiction, aware of the drug menace, and how they should be prevented from taking drugs."

Case Title: Court on its own motion v. Union of India and others

Appearance:  Anu Pal, Senior Deputy Advocate General, Punjab and. Deepak Balyan, learned Additional Advocate General, Haryana.

Click here to read/download the order