HC seeks details about narcotics drugs seized in last 10 years in J&K

Srinagar: The J&K High Court has directed state government to provide details within three weeks about the narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances seized in Jammu and Kashmir in last ten years.

Hearing a suo-moto Public Interest Litigation, a division bench of the high court comprising Chief Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Kumar directed the government to file an affidavit which shall also indicate as to which are the major routes of travel of the narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances into and within the State.

It also directed the state government to delineate whether it has any proposal to set up additional Forensic Science Laboratories in both Jammu as well as Kashmir Divisions, taking into account the increase in the number of drug related crimes as also other crimes.

There only two Forensic Science Laboratories in the entire State, one at Srinagar and one at Jammu and the court asked the government to indicate whether the Forensic Science Laboratories are equipped with modern scientific equipment or not as also trained personnel.

The court also the State shall submit a status report with regard to the implementation in respect of each of the measures outlined in the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

“The affidavit should also indicate what measures have been taken by the State to inform the educational institutions to take up programmes to create awareness about the menace of narcotics drugs and psychotropic substances, so that the students studying in these educational institutions themselves also keep away from such dangerous drugs and psychotropic substances.”

The court also noticed that there was a massive increase in the supply and usage of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, which are meant only to be prescribed to patients by the doctors. “These drugs are in the form of capsules which are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies. The procedure for supplying these drugs to chemists is quite stringent under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and specific lot numbers etc. are indicated whenever the supply or distribution of these drugs is done. The question that arises is, has the State tried to verify the lots when such drugs are recovered from the unauthorized persons?” the court asked and also directed the State to consider providing a Helpline Service with regard to reporting of any drug abuse etc.