CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has fixed November 16 to hear the State government petition on implementation of orders and directions issued by the Supreme Court of India for disposal of narcotics seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar fixed the date on Monday while issuing notice on a petition filed by the Special Task Force (CID-Crime Branch) of Odisha Police.
Though the investigating officers (IO) are filing applications seeking permission for destruction of the seized contraband, the courts concerned are not passing any orders, the petition said.
Additional government advocate PK Muduli accepted the notice on behalf of the Registrar General of the High Court. The bench will take up the petition for hearing along with a cross-verification report on the claim made in the petition.
It indicated that 56 applications seeking permission for destruction of seized contraband filed since October 2020 were pending in courts at Khurda, Puri, Balasore, Boudh, Koraput, Berhampur, Rayagada, Gunupur, and Malkangiri.
The petition sought a direction by the Registrar General of the High Court to the subordinate courts to implement the directions/guidelines that the Supreme Court of India had issued on disposal of drugs, narcotics, and psychotropic substances as per the provisions of the NDPS Act on January 28, 2016.