Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh High Court today directed the state government to make amendment in the rules to debar close relatives of those convicted under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act from contesting panchayati raj and urban bodies elections.
Allowing an appeal, filed by the state government against order of the special judge, Fast Track Court Chamba under the NDPS Act 1985, a division bench consisting of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Sureshwar Thakur gave six months time to bring suitable amendments and enforce the new provisions.
Specifying close relatives, the bench said, spouse of the convicted person, his brother or sister, brother or sister of the spouse, any lineal ascendant or descendant of the convict, any lineal ascendant or descendant of the spouse and spouse of a person referred in all categories referred above would come under the definition.
Taking a serious note of growing menace of drug abuse among youths, the bench also banned sale of sedatives like codeine and morphene or other cough syrups to boys and girls below 18 years of age, without proper medical prescriptions.
Besides, the High Court ordered that all educational institutions would be made drug-fee and policemen be deployed in plain clothes in the vicinity of the schools and colleges to nab the drug peddlers and check the chemist and druggist selling any addictive drugs and cough syrups to the students without due prescriptions.
Issuing specific directions to the heads of educational institutions, district Superintendents of Police and Chief Medical Officers, the Court called for effectively checking the abuse of drugs among the youths and school and college students, who are falling prey to the drug peddlers in and around the educational institutions.
The High Court ordered the Director-General of Police to pass specific directions to investigating officers to trace the sources of drugs and psychotropic substances and their final destination within and outside the state in every case relating to drug smuggling.
“Such persons, from whom these drugs are purchased in the state by the couriers/carriers and the persons to whom these are to be delivered finally, must be booked under the provisions of enabling laws,” the order said.
In order to facilitate timely and effective implementation of production warrants, the court said, the Superintendents of Police shall depute persons not below the rank of sub-inspector and the police force going outside the state for effecting production warrants should be armed.
The HC also directed Principal Secretary (Home) to constitute a special task force in the worst-affected districts consisting of IPS officer, Deputy SP, Inspectors/Sub Inspectors and head constables in order to nab the person(s) indulging in illegal transportation of drugs.
(Sourced from agencies, Feature image courtesy:oneindia.com)
