Centre Flags Underutilisation Of Drug Trafficking Act, Urges States To Ramp Up Enforcement
Last Updated:
In a letter, the MHA stressed the urgent need for a multi-pronged strategy combining supply reduction, demand reduction, and a humane approach towards drug abuse victims
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in a major step to curb the growing menace of drug trafficking across the country, has written to all states and Union Territories urging stronger and more proactive enforcement of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act, 1988.
The ministry has flagged the underutilisation of the Act and called for immediate action, including preventive detention of repeat offenders and enhanced coordination between enforcement agencies.
In the letter addressed to top state officials, the MHA stressed the urgent need for a multi-pronged strategy combining supply reduction, demand reduction, and a humane approach towards drug abuse victims. 'Our Government is moving ahead with a strict approach against the drug supply chain," the letter stated, calling for a 'Whole-of-Government" response to effectively counter organised drug syndicates.
'The PITNDPS Act is one of the most potent tools available to law enforcement to detain repeat offenders involved in drug trafficking. However, it is not being adequately used," an MHA official said. 'Given the increasing link between drug trafficking and terror financing, we have asked States to take timely and firm action."
The letter also underlined the need for regular training of drug law enforcement officers and faster review of detention orders. It emphasised that state agencies must file detention proposals more proactively and work in close coordination with the Centre to ensure effective deterrence.
'Trafficking and abuse of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances has, over the years, reached alarming proportions in some parts of the country. It is important that all State Governments and the Central Government use all available legal provisions to curb this menace. One very potent law which has been extremely under-utilised is the PITNDPS Act. Once a preventive detention order under the PITNDPS Act is issued against a person, the illegally acquired properties of that person, his relatives, and associates can be seized, frozen, and forfeited through a quasi-judicial process as per Chapter VA of the NDPS Act," an official communication says.
WHAT IS THE PITNDPS ACT?
It is an Act that provides for the issuance of preventive detention orders against any person, with a view to preventing them from engaging in illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
WHO CAN ISSUE DETENTION ORDERS?
The Union government, any officer specially empowered by the Centre or the state government can pass detention orders against any person (including a foreigner) with a view to preventing them from indulging in illicit traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, if satisfied that it is necessary to do so.
The activities of persons engaged in such illicit trafficking pose a serious threat to the health and welfare of the people. Illicit traffic in NDPS has a deleterious effect on the national economy. Such persons are prosecuted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, but to further strengthen controls, the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act was enacted in 1988. Preventive detention is not a substitute for normal laws, nor is it intended to be used in lieu of such laws. It is an additional weapon in the armoury of law enforcement agencies aimed at tackling organised trafficking of drugs.
First Published:
June 05, 2025, 10:05 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
Juvenile detained for molesting minor girl
1 2 3 Kendrapada: Police detained a 15-year-old boy on Saturday for allegedly molesting a five-year-old girl in Jajpur district. The incident occurred on Friday evening when the minor was alone at her house. Investigation officer Anshumala Das said the accused, who lives in the girl's neighborhood, allegedly entered her house and sexually assaulted her. Hethreatened to kill her if she revealed the incident to anyone. The matter came to light when the girl informed her parents about her ordeal. The girl's mother subsequently filed an FIR at the local police station. "During interrogation, the juvenile confessed to the crime," said Das. The accused has been booked under various sections of BNS, including 329(4) (house trespass), 296 (obscene acts), and 351(3) (death threats). He has also been charged under Section 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012. The accused was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on Saturday, which rejected his bail petition and remanded him to the observation home in Angul. Legal expert Subash Nayak said that under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, offenders below 18 years are treated with an emphasis on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Peddler held with 140 kg poppy husk
Ludhiana: A drug peddler was arrested with 140kg of poppy husk Friday night. He has been identified by police as Sukchain Singh of Chakar village here. Inspector Kuljinder Singh, SHO of Hathur PS, said vehicles were being checked in Chakar when a suspicious car arrived late in the night. Four plastic bags were found lying in its back seat, and three more in the car boot. All the bags were filled with poppy husks. Police seized the husk and apprehended the accused. He was booked under the NDPS Act. During investigation, police found that a case of drug peddling was registered against the accused eight years ago. He used to bring poppy husk from other states and supply it to nearby villages.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Centre is trying to frame me: former J&K Governor
Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik said on Saturday (June 7, 2025) that the Centre is trying to frame him in false chargesheets by threatening him with cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In a post on X in Hindi, Mr. Malik said, 'The tender they want to implicate me in was one I personally cancelled. I had informed the Prime Minister about the corruption in that matter, and after informing him, I cancelled that tender myself. After my transfer, that tender was approved with someone else's signature.' Mr. Malik said he is admitted in the Intensive Unit Care (ICU) of a hospital for kidney-related ailment. 'My condition is becoming very serious. Whether I survive or not, I want to tell the truth to my fellow countrymen — When I was Governor, I was offered bribes of ₹150 to ₹150 crore, but like my political mentor, the late farmer leader Chaudhary Charan Singh, I worked with honesty, and my integrity could never be shaken,' he said. The case in which Mr. Malik has been chargesheeted involves the awarding of ₹2,200 crore worth of civil works for the Kiru Hydroelectric Project. Registered by the CBI in April 2022 on a reference from the Jammu and Kashmir government, the FIR alleged Chenab Valley Power Project (P) Limited (CVPPPL), at its 47th board meeting, had decided to cancel the then ongoing tendering process and re-tender for the works through e-tenders with reverse auction. The FIR alleged that the very next board meeting of the CCVPPL saw this decision reversed, leading to the contract being awarded to Patel Engineering in 2019. In the chargesheet filed in the case by the CBI last month, besides Mr. Malik, who was the Governor of J&K from August 23, 2018, to October 30, 2019, seven others had been chargesheeted. This included the then MD of CVPPL, M.S. Babu, and directors M.K. Mittal and Arun Kumar Mishra. Others charged are then Managing Director of Patel Engineering Limited, Rupen Patel (deceased), along with Virender Rana, Kanwar Singh Rana, and Kanwaljeet Singh Duggal. 'The government has put all its strength into defaming me. In the end, my request to the government and its agencies is to please tell the truth to the beloved people of my country — what did you find against me in your investigations? The truth, however, is that after serving the nation in very high positions for over 50 years in my political life, I still live in a single-room house and am in debt. If I had wealth today, I would be getting treatment in a private hospital,' he said.
