W.P.No.34128 of 2017
THE HON’BLE ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE
AND
P.B.BALAJI, J.
(Order of the Court was made by Hon’ble Acting Chief Justice)
Pursuant to the last hearing and the directions issued by the Court, three Status Reports have been filed viz., one by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Pallikaranai District, Tambaram City Police, second by the
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Avadi District and third by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, NIB CID, Chennai.
- The Status Reports have set out the various steps taken to ensure that drug menace is controlled / eradicated. It is also submitted by the authorities that the Prohibition Enforcement Wings are fully functional and they are striving hard to eradicate drug peddling. They have also listed out the number of cases registered and the number of perpetrators who have been arrested in the recent years to till date. They have also submitted that patrol vehicles are making rounds in the streets all through out the day in order to prevent drug peddlers indulging in anti-social activities, awareness programmes have been conducted in schools and colleges and three special teams have been formed, assisted by four other police officials in each team, to regularly monitor the movement and activities of drug peddlers.
- Pursuant to the directions issued by us, the Secretary (FAC), District Legal Services Authority, Tiruvallur, has also filed a report. The said report has raised serious concerns about the free use of Ganja in AIR Nagar and Kudapakkam near Tiruvallur District. The report states that de-addiction centres are not functioning in the locality and so also the CCTV surveillance cameras. The report also highlights the necessity of streetlights being installed in crucial locations, besides ensuring that they are also fully functional. The report also has suggested closure of the TASMAC shop in AIR Nagar (Tsunami Kudiyiruppu), which frequently
results in local residents, woman and children, being targeted by alcoholists. - When this was brought to the attention of learned Additional Advocate General, he would submit that immediate necessary steps would be taken to address the shortcomings that have been reported by the District
Legal Services Authority, Tiruvallur. We also directed the first respondent to take immediate steps to close the TASMAC shop, as recommended by the District Legal Services Authority, Tiruvallur. - Learned Additional Advocate General agreed that drugs menace is a social evil which has to be necessarily curbed immediately, otherwise it would spread its wings and affect the future generations of our State, especially with the drug peddlers targeting school and college going children / students.
- We also express our serious concern over the number of police personnel deployed for monitoring, controlling and combating the drug menace. We are not satisfied with the Status Reports filed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police of Avadi and Pallikaranai (Tambaram) District with regard to number of police personnel deployed in the aforesaid jurisdictional limits. The present strength of police personnel deputed / deployed to curb the menace of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances are not adequate. The Deputy Commissioner and other police officers, who are present before this Court has not disputed the fact that drugs are freely available in the entire State of Tamil Nadu. The learned Additional
Advocate General has also not disputed the said fact. Unless the State Government constitutes Special Investigating Teams (SIT) with sufficient police personnel and put them on task, things will not change, otherwise this Court will not hesitate to interfere and pass appropriate orders for constituting a Special Investigating Team to curb the drug menace. - In such circumstances, the learned Additional Advocate General has agreed to file an Action Taken Report within a period of two weeks from today.
- We make it clear that if no satisfactory steps are taken or progress shown by the State, then we may have to consider handing over the issue of drug menace to an independent Special Investigating Agency to monitor the steps and activities which are already place in place.
- At the request of learned Additional Advocate General for filing
Action Taken Report and also to file necessary affidavits by the State Government and the Director General of Police, list the matter on
19.09.2024 at 2.15 p.m. The District Legal Services Authority, Chengalpet District shall also file its report by 19.09.2024.
[D.K.K., A.CJ.] [P.B.B.J.]
09.09.2024
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Note: Registry is directed to communicate this order to all the respondents.
Copy to:
1.The Chief Secretary,
Government of Tamil Nadu, Secretariat, Chennai.
2.The Secretary to Government,
Home Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, Secretariat, Chennai. THE HON’BLE ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE and P.B. BALAJI, J.
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W.P.No.34128 of 2017
09.09.2024
