The State director general of police MA Ganapathy said on Tuesday that Nainital High Court’s direction to the State to check smuggling of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances will be fully executed. He, however, said that they were yet to receive the copy of the judgment.
“Once we receive it more appropriate steps will be taken to check smuggling of
narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. State police have already taken several measures on the matter. A campaign against substance abuse in Dehradun is on with the drug peddlers being arrested. With the peddlers targeting students and the youths working in industries, we have involved local people in the campaign in the same way as we involve locals in community police. In other districts too, such drive would be launched,” DGP said.
It should be mentioned here that Justice Rajiv Sharma of the Nainital High Court issued directions on Monday to check the illegal transportation of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
Dismissing an appeal against the ruling of the trial court following which the appellant was jailed for carrying charas, Justice Rajiv Sharma asked DGP to issue directions to the investigating officers to trace the source of drugs and their final destination within and outside the State.
Such people from whom these were purchased and the ones to whom these were to be delivered must be booked under the provisions of the law, the judgment stated.
The Judge also asked the Uttarakhand Government to constitute a special task force in the worst-affected districts of Uttarakhand, consisting of an IPS officer, a DSP, inspectors/sub-inspectors and head constables in order to nab the persons indulging in illegal transportation of drugs.
All investigations in cases where quantity of contraband was more than the commercial quantity were ordered to be supervised by the superintendent of police concerned. Besides, the superintendents of police were directed to place officers in plain clothes near the educational institutions to nab drug peddlers.
The judgment also stated that disciplinary proceedings be initiated against police personnel, who turn hostile to support the accused booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Act, 1985.
The Judge further directed that principal secretary (Home), while constituting such special task force, would go through the ACRs of the officers concerned to ensure that the best officers were picked for this job. The special task force must be constituted within three weeks, the Judge ordered in his ruling.