Preventive detention, property seizures aimed at curbing repeat offenders: DPC
He said the stringent legal action was taken apart from strictly implementing Section 68 F of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which led to the seizure or freezing of seven other drug pushers' illegally acquired properties, he added.
Mr. Narayanan also pointed out that the police made a credible intervention with the 'No Never' anti-drug awareness campaign, which was launched in November 2024, covering schools, colleges and residents' associations apart from the regular enforcement actions. He said the campaign would continue covering more public places as part of the intensified vigil.
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
SC affirms quashing of FIR against administrator in parliamentarian suicide case
The Supreme Court on Monday affirmed the Bombay high court's decision to quash a first information report (FIR) in the abetment to suicide case related to parliamentarian Mohanbhai S Delkar, bringing final relief to nine accused, including Praful Khoda Patel, administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep. The Supreme Court confirmed the Bombay high court's September 2022 order. (HT PHOTO) A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran pronounced the judgment. Reading out the operative part of the judgment, Justice Chandran said the top court has confirmed the high court's September 2022 order and dismissed the appeal filed by Delkar's son, Abhinav. The FIR, lodged at Mumbai's Marine Drive police station on March 9, 2021, invoked sections 306 (abetment of suicide), 506 (criminal intimidation), 389 (putting a person in fear of accusation to commit extortion) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, along with the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. It alleged that Delkar, a prominent tribal leader from the Dhodia Patel community and a seven-term Member of Parliament from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, was subjected to sustained harassment by the local administration to wrest control of an educational institution he ran and to deter him from contesting the next election. Delkar, 58, was found dead on February 22, 2021, in a hotel room on Marine Drive in Mumbai. A suicide note and minutes of a parliamentary privileges committee were recovered from the spot. His son, Abhinav Delkar, recorded a statement that was treated as the FIR. Nine persons, including Patel, were named as accused in the FIR. Quashing the FIR in 2022, the high court held that the allegations, at best, reflected Mohanbhai S Delkar's impressions of humiliation and ill-treatment and were not backed by material showing any specific, proximate acts of instigation or intentional aid, elements necessary to make out abetment under Section 306 IPC. The high court noted material placed by the petitioners to show that Delkar was accorded due protocol at public functions, and found no prima facie instance of harassment rising to the level of a criminal offence. The high court added that it was a fit case for quashing 'to prevent abuse of law.' The high court, while quashing the case, accepted the arguments of the accused that Delkar was never disrespected at public functions and that proper protocols were observed in keeping with his stature. It ruled that the allegations of humiliation and harassment were 'impressions carried out by the deceased' and that the FIR lacked any prima facie evidence of a 'positive act' required to establish abetment under Section 306 of IPC. The nine persons named in the FIR included Praful Patel and some officials and police officers in the Dadra and Nagar Haveli administration. Mohan Delkar, a prominent tribal leader, first entered Parliament in 1989 and represented Dadra and Nagar Haveli six times consecutively until 2009. After a brief interlude, he returned as an Independent lawmaker in 2019, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Natu Patel by 9,001 votes. His wife represents the constituency in the Lok Sabha, having joined the BJP with their son Abhinav in 2024.
The Wire
an hour ago
- The Wire
'Image in the Society Tarnished': HC Declares Arrest of Goa Councillor Over 'Links With PFI' Unlawful
The court added that the power conferred on the police officer necessarily must be discharged with accountability and responsibility. New Delhi: The high court of Bombay at Goa has declared the arrest of an elected councillor of a local body for being an alleged member of the Popular Front of India (PFI) as 'unlawful'. The high court ruled that a mere apprehension that a person may indulge in illegal activities in the future is insufficient ground to justify the arrest under section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), reported Indian Express. Sarfaraz Sayyad, the petitioner in the case, who is a municipal councillor from Valpoi Municipal Council was arrested on September 29, 2022, along with three other people, by the Goa Police who invoked section 151 of CrPC on the premise that he is a member of the PFI. Two days before the arrest of Sayyad, the Union government had declared the PFI and its affiliates as 'Unlawful Association' under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Following the arrest, the court had order their release on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh each and a surety residing within the local limits of Valpoi police station of Rs 1 lakh. Sayyad had challenged this order. A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Nivedita P. Mehta said in an order passed on August 11 that the police did not place sufficient material before the magistrate. The police had just stated that the PFI was declared as an Unlawful Association under the UAPA and it was suspected that the members of PFI are likely to indulge in activities, which were likely to disturb the peace in the locality. 'No other specific material was placed before the Magistrate regarding the design or intention to indulge in any cognisable offence, which could not have been prevented unless and until he was arrested. The mere apprehension that the person may indulge in illegal activities in future and there is a possibility of breach of peace in the locality or commission of any cognisable offence, according to us, is not sufficient ground which would justify exercise of this power,' the court said, reported Indian Express. The court added that the power conferred on the police officer necessarily must be discharged with accountability and responsibility. 'We do not find any material in that regard as we have noted that except expressing an apprehension of likelihood of such activity being committed, with no concrete material establishing the link of the petitioner with the PFI or substantially establishing that he has indulged in activities of the Unlawful Association in the past giving rise to an apprehension that he may indulge into the said activities, upon it being declared an Unlawful Association, is conspicuously absent,' said the court. The court added that the petitioner has a right to contend that his image in the society has been tarnished due to his wrongful arrest despite the absence of any incriminating material justifying the arrest under the said provision. 'When we test the aforesaid arrest in the backdrop of Article 21, i.e. 'right to life and liberty', which has considered a right to reputation as a cherished right and an important facet of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, as the term 'life' is of wider amplitude and necessarily convey, life with dignity and involve reputation of a person, with the petitioner being enjoying a position in the society, he definitely has a right to contend that his image in the society has been tarnished on account of the action of his wrongful arrest without sufficiency of the material justifying such an arrest under Section 151 of the CrPC,' the court said. The high court ruled that the arrest of the petitioner is 'liable to be declared as unlawful' and granted him liberty to seek compensation before an appropriate forum. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Advertisement
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Small, medium-quantity drug cases register a significant rise in Ernakulam
KOCHI: Further underscoring the growing concern of drug abuse, Ernakulam district has seen a significant rise in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) cases and arrests in the first half of this year, which have been marked by a jump in small- and medium-quantity seizures. As on August 15, 4,448 cases were registered, with 4,728 individuals arrested. Rural areas recorded 2,443 cases, surpassing the 2,037 cases for all of 2024. In Kochi city, 2,005 cases were reported, up from 1,558 in the same period last year. The district is fast approaching last year's figures of 4,512 cases and 5,010 arrests. According to Kochi commissioner Putta Vimaladitya, intensified anti-drug operations by police squads have led to a sharp increase in arrests and seizures. 'Over the past six to seven months, a significant number of cases and arrests have been reported within city limits. In addition to small-quantity cases, there has also been a notable rise in medium and commercial quantity seizures, contributing to the surge in figures,' he said. 'A significant portion of seizures and cases in rural areas is concentrated in regions with high migrant population such as Perumbavoor, Muvattupuzha and Aluva. Investigations indicate that traffickers largely target youth and celebrities,' a source with Ernakulam Rural police said, on condition of anonymity. Much of the narcotics, especially cannabis, is sourced from Assam, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, while synthetic drugs are predominantly trafficked from Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chennai. He pointed out that the seizure of over 500 sacks of banned tobacco products — worth nearly `3 crore — early this year in the Perumbavoor region stands out as one of the largest of its kind in the state. Commenting on the jump in cases and arrests, Ernakulam district police chief M Hemalatha attributed it to a combination of growing drug abuse, trafficking, and intensified enforcement measures. 'While earlier we focused on commercial quantity seizures, we are now giving equal attention to small-scale possession cases to trace the roots of supply and disrupt the network,' she said.
