HC tells poll panel to crack down on drugs

CHANDIGARH: More than three years after Punjab former Director General of Police (Prisons) Shashi Kant raised the matter of narco-politics in the state, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer and the Election Commission (EC) to prevent supply of drugs during the polling process.

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 9

More than three years after Punjab former Director General of Police (Prisons) Shashi Kant raised the matter of narco-politics in the state, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today asked the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer and the Election Commission (EC) to prevent supply of drugs during the polling process.

The direction, just ahead of the Assembly elections, came on an application by NGO “Lawyers for Human Rights International” through Navkiran Singh for placing on record a news report on drugs and its source.

Justice Surya Kant and Justice Sudip Ahluwalia issued a notice of motion to Punjab, Haryana and the Chandigarh administration. They called for forming a committee for visiting de-addiction centres for tracking down the source of narcotics before submitting a report.

Navkiran Singh had earlier suggested that the police from the Tricity should form a joint team to close in on the network operated by drug traffickers. “It would be also essential that NGOs, interested and making efforts, to contain the menace should be associated along with the District Legal Service Authorities, so that best efforts could be made and the information obtained from de-addiction centres, as well as in jail inmates, could be passed on to the police”.

The developments are significant as Shashi Kant had claimed that drug smuggling worth more than Rs 60,000 crore took place annually in the state, and narcotics were used by political parties to woo voters.

Kant had told the Bench that the election process “gets affected by the menace” and proposed to approach the EC. Taking note of his assertion, the Bench had asserted, “We are sure that the information/representation would receive appropriate attention at the hands of the Election Commission of India”.