HC flags northern states as addiction hotspots, urges Centre to release funds for rehab

Chandigarh: Citing that the northern states are becoming hotbeds for the supply of drugs, the Punjab and Haryana high court has urged the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) to release corpus funds for the rehabilitation and re-assimilation of de-addicted drug addicts into the mainstream.
"Since the northern states are the hotbeds for the supply of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and are inhabited by an immense swathe of addicts of all ages, during the course of deliberations with Satya Pal Jain, the additional solicitor general of India (ASG), he was directed to ensure that special funds for the relevant purposes be released to the northern states on or before the subsequent date of hearing," the high court observed in its April 9 order released on Friday.
The HC further recorded that Jain assured the court he would abide by the directions passed by this court in Dec 2024 and Feb this year. The HC has now fixed the matter for May 5 with directions: "On the subsequent date of hearing, all concerned are directed to serve the national cause with complete zeal and enthusiasm by voluntarily coming forward with all the desired inputs and responses."
Earlier in Dec 2024, the HC, while expressing deep concern regarding the rehabilitation and re-assimilation of de-addicted drug addicts into the mainstream, observed that corpus funds are required to be released by the MHA to tackle the menace of drugs. "The MHA is doing laudable work to reduce drug dependence and ensure the assimilation and reintegration of drug addicts into the mainstream. However, this laudable purpose is to be further facilitated through adequate financial funds being released to all the federal governing units within the territory of the Union of India," the bench observed.
A division bench comprising Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Vikas Suri passed these orders while hearing a plea filed by Bhupinder Singh. The petitioner in this case challenged the verdict dated Nov 14, 2022, passed by the additional sessions judge Charkhi Dadri in Haryana, through which he was convicted under the NDPS Act. While noticing some faults in the investigation of the case, the bench, while expanding the scope of the petition, directed both the states of Punjab and Haryana to get their officials trained in the investigation of drug cases.
Earlier in March last year, the bench observed that the investigations into drug cases carried out by the state agencies of Punjab and Haryana were "extremely faulty". The HC then directed both states' police chiefs to send their investigating officers (IOs) to Himachal Pradesh (HP) for training.
HC seeks assistance of HP cadre IPS
The HC has also asked Soumya Sambasivan, IPS, DIG (Central Range), Mandi (HP), to place on record the entire data of the training schedule of IOs from Punjab and Haryana with effect from May 22, 2024. Directions have been given to the DGP and home department, HP, to grant requisite permission for her personal appearance before the HC at Chandigarh. "She has been regularly and usefully assisting this court; therefore, she is directed to record her personal appearance before this court on the subsequent date of hearing, along with all the relevant fresh inputs and suggestions, some of which earlier paved the way for this court to previously pass the mandamus upon all concerned," the court recorded.
MSID:: 120232920 413 |