Agencies must come together to check drug menace: High Court

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the police forces of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh must cooperate in a concerted effort to tackle the drug menace.

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The assertion by the Bench of Justice Deepak Sibal and Justice Harpreet Kaur Jeewan came while hearing an application filed by Punjab for the modification of an interim order dated November 21, 2024, on the ground that it “dampens the morale of the state police”.

The order was passed by another Bench after noticing that “criminal matters were coming up before this court with regard to the recovery of huge quantities of drugs manufactured in the region” and affidavits filed in the matter by the CBI and the NCB.

The Bench “in the larger public interest” directed the CBI to form a special investigation team (SIT) comprising officers from the NCB and the police authorities to conduct an inquiry into such matters and submit a report. It also directed the Directors-General of Police of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to “extend full cooperation to the CBI/NCB” to facilitate a meaningful inquiry.

As the plea came up for hearing, Justice Sibal’s Bench rejected the state’s apprehensions before observing: “The order dated November 21, 2024, was passed when this court found that the illegal sale of drugs was unfortunately spreading across the entire region, blurring the borders of Punjab and Haryana with these drugs being manufactured in not only these states, but also in Himachal Pradesh. Therefore, it was rightly felt that the inquiry into it be entrusted to a Central and a specialised agency like the CBI/NCB.”

The Bench noted that Punjab had, in its application, acknowledged the gravity of the situation.

It said, “As on date, thousands of criminal cases under the NDPS Act stand registered in the state; narcotic substances including thousands of kilograms of heroin/opium and 126 million tonnes of poppy husk along with 4.38 crore narcotic tablets/capsules have been seized by the state police; smuggling of drugs, drug money and weapons is rampant across the international border and that over 1,000 drones have been sighted so far, but only 431 of these carrying drugs/weapons across the border have been recovered.”