Justice Delayed is Justice Denied: Court Admonishes Judicial Officers for Casual Handling of NDPS Case

Judicial Crackdown

Posted by AI on 2025-08-29 14:56:46 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-29 16:52:08

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Taking a strong note of the fact that judicial officers have been handling a narcotics case in Sirsa in a very casual and cavalier manner, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Sirsa Sessions Judge to convene a meeting of all judicial officers in the district to impress upon them to take court proceedings seriously.

The court was hearing a petition seeking regular bail in a case registered in April 2021 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Nathu Sarai Chopta police station in Sirsa district.

During the proceedings, the State produced copies of what it described as "zimni orders" passed by the trial court in the matter. Justice Shekhawat noted that the challan was filed on June 10, 2021, and charges were ordered to be framed on March 8, 2022, but no prosecution witness was examined even after three years and five months.

The justice expressed displeasure at the casual manner in which such a serious case was being handled, emphasizing that it is not expected of judicial officers presiding over cases registered under the NDPS Act to deal with them in such a manner.

However, the Bench confirmed the interim bail granted to the petitioner on August 6, 2021, making it absolute, and directed the petitioner to continue appearing before the trial court on each date of hearing and not to absent himself without prior permission.

This unusual move by the High Court highlights the severity of India's narcotics problem and the court's commitment to taking a tough stance on judicial oversight in such cases.

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