Take measures to combat drug menace in prisons: High Court

In a stern direction aimed at curbing the flow of narcotics into jails, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered the deployment of drug detection kits across all prisons in the UT and the rest of the region while stressing the need for immediate and effective measures to combat the menace.

The direction came as the Division Bench of Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Sudeepti Sharma raised serious concerns about the escalating incidents of drug trafficking within prisons, particularly in the states of Punjab, Haryana, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

The Bench asserted that drug trafficking inside prisons was not an isolated or occasional problem, but a widespread menace causing significant harm to the integrity of the prison system and the broader societal effort to rehabilitate inmates.

Expressing alarm over the gravity of the situation, the court asserted: “There are rampant incidents of drug trafficking taking place inside jails, whereupon, through deployment of drug detection kits, an endeavour can be made to reduce the incidents of drug trafficking happening inside jails.”

Addressing the broader ramifications of drug trafficking in the prisons, the Bench noted that unchecked drug flow not only endangered the safety and security of inmates but also undermined rehabilitation efforts, turning jails into hubs for continued criminal activities. As such, the use of drug detection kits would serve as a crucial tool in reducing the infiltration of narcotics into the prison system, protecting both the inmates and the larger criminal justice apparatus.

Referring to the pressing need for authorities to act swiftly to prevent prisons from becoming breeding grounds for further criminal activity – particularly drug-related offences, the Bench asserted that efforts had been made to control drug trafficking at border points. The same vigilance was required inside correctional facilities. The court also made it clear that the menace within jails was deeply intertwined with external drug networks, necessitating a multi-layered approach.

In its detailed order, the Bench asserted that drug detection kits were required to be deployed not only at border and sub-border posts but also within every jail in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh to break the nexus of narcotics entering and being circulated within prisons.

The Bench also called for compliance affidavits on the deployment of the drug detection kits, and for confirming that all border and jail security posts were equipped with the necessary tools.