Instruct SSPs to monitor probe into drugs cases: HC to Punjab DGP

The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the director general of police (DGP), Punjab, to ask the senior superintendents of police (SSPs) to monitor the probe into drug cases registered in their areas of jurisdiction.

The high court bench of justice NS Shekhawat has also directed the DGP to file an affidavit of all the cases registered under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in all police stations of the state, where, the accused have not been arrested, even after a lapse of more than six months.

He (DGP) shall also mention the fact as to whether such accused have been declared proclaimed offenders or not, it added.

The directions were issued while hearing the anticipatory bail plea of an accused from Bathinda, in which it had come to light that in 83 criminal cases registered under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 97 accused have not been arrested by the police, for the last more than six months.

The court observed that the police were not only legally obligated to arrest them but also to initiate the proclaimed offender proceedings against the accused and to attach their properties.

“But surprisingly no such efforts were made by the investigating officers/SHO’s of the 19 police stations of district Bathinda. Apart from that, this clearly reflects that the higher police officials of district Bathinda had not supervised the investigation of the cases registered under the NDPS Act,” the court recorded.

It had also come to light that in the case at hand, the petitioner has not been arrested for the last 11 months. The challan was presented in the case in January, but head constable Sukhraj Singh did not make any entry in the record of the police station about the probe being pending about the petitioner.

Even inspector Sandeep Singh, who remained posted as SHO, police station, Nathana, and ASI Dilbag Singh, investigating officer of the case, did not pay any heed towards the investigation of the case against the accused. “Even from the affidavit filed by SSP, Bathinda, it is apparent that every possible attempt is being made to shield the three officials and only departmental inquiry has been initiated against them and as per information supplied by learned state counsel, such tainted police officials have been posted in other police stations,” the court further observed.

Taking a serious view of this, the court directed the DGP to issue necessary directions to all the SSPs to monitor the progress of the investigation of all the drug cases. “In case, the accused in such cases are not arrested by the police within a reasonable time period, despite best efforts; such accused should be immediately declared proclaimed offenders and their properties must be attached without any delay in accordance with the provisions of law,” it further directed. The case is now to be taken up on September 5.