MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court posed a series of queries to the State police on the procedure being followed while handling contraband drugs seized by police. Justice B Pugalendhi raised the queries after clubbing together a batch of over 40 bail petitions filed by several persons in 2020 and 2021 in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
The judge asked the authorities to furnish details of the date of seizure of the contraband in the above cases and the date of production of the same before the concerned courts. He also wanted to know whether the seized contraband are under the custody of the court, with the police concerned or any other separate place like storehouse as directed by the Supreme Court.
He asked if the seized contraband are preserved or destroyed and the procedure followed for the same. The judge wanted to ascertain if the procedure prescribed in Section 52(A) of the NDPS Act, with regard to disposal of seized articles, is adhered to by the officials. Citing the nature and volume of the cases, the judge directed the State Public Prosecutor to assist the court at the next hearing on Tuesday.
In court’s custody?
Justice Pugalendhi wanted to know whether the seized contraband are under the custody of the court, with the police concerned or any other place like a storehouse as directed by the Supreme Court