Narcotics Trials to Get Faster as Supreme Court Mandates New Courts
What Happened
The Supreme Court directed the Centre, states and Union Territories to establish 449 exclusive NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act) courts, preferably within six months, citing the sharp rise in narcotics-related crimes and the large backlog of pending cases. The Court noted that only 176 exclusive NDPS courts are currently functioning, far below the assessed national requirement.
Key Takeaways
Expressing concern over the “alarming” increase in drug-related offences and delays in trials, the Supreme Court said dedicated courts, infrastructure and staffing are essential to speed up justice. The move is expected to help reduce the burden of nearly 4 lakh pending NDPS cases across the country and improve the handling of narcotics prosecutions.