High Court wants affidavit on disposal of seized contraband

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 17

The Punjab and Haryana High Court wants to know whether seized contraband was being disposed of in a timely manner. It has called for an affidavit on the issue by the incharge of the special task force.

“The Director-General of Police/Additional Director General of Police, special task force, shall file an affidavit, stating as to whether contraband, specifically poppy husk, is being disposed of in a timely manner in terms of the directions issued earlier by the Supreme Court…,” Justice Amol Rattan Singh ordered. The direction came on a petition filed by a drugs case accused through counsel Ishan Gupta. Justice Amol Rattan Singh also called for details of poppy husk still lying with the state, “as has not been disposed of, which should have been disposed of in terms thereof”.

In its judgment on the storage of seized narcotics, the apex court had ordered destruction to prevent recirculation. The court had, in fact, issued guidelines on the disposal of narcotic drugs, psychotropic and controlled substances. The apex court Bench, comprising then Chief Justice TS Thakur and Justice Kurian Joseph, had issued the directions to “avoid any confusion arising out of the continued presence of two notifications on the same subject”.

The apex court had also requested the Chief Justices of the high courts across the country to appoint a committee of judges on the administrative side to supervise and monitor progress made by the respective states in regard to compliance of the directions.

The HC had, subsequently, constituted a committee to oversee action taken on prompt disposal of contraband recovered by the police in view of the apex court guidelines.

The counsels for the states of Punjab and Haryana, along with the Union Territory of Chandigarh, also undertook to comply with the Supreme Court directions “in letter and spirit”.