High Court directs Punjab to book kingpins in drug cases under PMLA, introduce chapter on drug menace in school syllabus
Chandigarh News: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued 25 directions to Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to curb the drug racket in the state.
“It has come to light that in the last 20 months, 25,579 people have been arrested and 21,430 cases registered in connection with drug smuggling in Punjab,” the court observed. 63,000 drug addicts are under treatment in outpatient opioid assisted treatment (OOAT) clinics, while more than 3 lakh are under treatment in government and private rehabilitation centres.
The high court further said that these figures are alarming, so the police should nab its kingpin and charge them not only under the NDPS Act but also under the Money PMLA. The culprits should be punished with a minimum sentence of 10 years to 20 years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Orders to educational institutions
The high court said that the subject should be included in the syllabus of 10+1 and 10+2 to make children aware of the ill effects of drugs.
Police personnel in uniform should be deployed outside all schools, colleges and educational institutions from 8 am to 6 pm to catch drug smugglers who are trapping students in the quagmire of drugs.
The Local Intelligence Unit should keep an eye on all such shops, dhabas, fast food shops, tea shops, etc., from where the drug smugglers are involved in the business and they should be arrested
Police officers will ensure that medicines, drugs are not given to minors in any medical shop, bar, restaurant. If any seller is found doing this, then his license should be canceled immediately by giving a notice to them.