3 weeks ago
1
Unless structural reforms are introduced successful investigation, information integration, inter-agency coordination, and organization capacity, the nonsubjective of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act cannot beryllium efficaciously achieved, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has said portion issuing suggestions successful this respect to the authorities.
The tribunal noted that a important fig of cases originated from Madurai, Theni and Dindigul districts. Approximately much than 50% of the cases reported successful Tamil Nadu were arising retired of these districts.
Justice B. Pugalendhi said the probe successful cases nether the NDPS Act should mandatorily see fiscal probe into the proceeds of transgression and the forfeiture of amerciable properties nether Chapter V-A of the NDPS Act and should not beryllium confined simply to seizure and arrest.
The tribunal said fiscal probe should widen to some commercialized and intermediate quantities of narcotic and psychotropic substances. The authorities should, successful due cases, initiate proceedings nether Chapter V-A of the NDPS Act for identification, attachment and forfeiture of the illegally acquired properties. The Director General of Police should contented broad lasting instructions mandating fiscal profiling of accused persons, systematic plus tracing, and effectual coordination with banks and fiscal institutions, the tribunal said.
The State should fortify specialised agencies specified arsenic NIB-CID by filling vacancies connected priority, augmenting sanctioned spot commensurate with workload, and ensuring that adequately equipped and functional units are established crossed the districts and large municipality centres. Dedicated manpower should beryllium provided for quality processing and tracking the online networks of cause traffickers, the tribunal said.
The tribunal said a structured coordination mechanics should beryllium developed with Village Administrative Officers successful Madurai, Theni and Dindigul districts successful respect of accused persons hailing from these districts but residing successful Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha. A broad database should beryllium created, and their movements should beryllium kept nether continuous watch.
A dedicated dashboard for the NIB-CID reflecting the fig of cases registered and presumption of investigations should beryllium designed by the State Crime Records Bureau. A abstracted level should beryllium created wrong the CCTNS level to alteration real-time entree to lawsuit data, accused details, and probe presumption of NDPS cases, the tribunal said.
The tribunal said each lawsuit registered should beryllium automatically and contemporaneously reflected successful the CCTNS strategy and brought to the announcement of the NIB-CID unit, truthful arsenic to guarantee coordinated monitoring, quality sharing, and due intervention.
The tribunal said instrumentality enforcement agencies successful the State should fortify inter-State coordination with instrumentality enforcement agencies of neighbouring and root States done structured intelligence-sharing mechanisms, and should besides heighten surveillance and interception, peculiarly on transit routes, including railway corridors.
The efficacy of the NDPS authorities lies not simply successful the enforcement, but successful the quality of the strategy to anticipate, coordinate, and dismantle the structures that prolong the offence. Mere seizure-and-arrest attack volition not suffice to combat the menace of cause trafficking. Unless the economical foundations of specified transgression activities are dismantled, enforcement efforts volition stay ineffective and the purpose of a drugs escaped nine cannot beryllium achieved, the tribunal said disposing of petitions filed by accused seeking suspension of sentences.
