Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, The Punjab government today submitted in a sealed cover the status report on the steps so far taken to check drug menace in the state in a sealed cover in the Punjab and Haryana high court. The division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ashutosh Mohanta and Justice Raj Rahul Garg adjourned the case to January 16 to study the report.
The bench was hearing a Public Interest Litigation demanding CBI probe into drug smuggling in the state.
The state government, in an affidavit, pleaded that all such petitions filed before the high court should be clubbed together. The Bench observed that this plea would be taken into consideration after studying the sealed report at the next hearing.
Shahshi Sharma, a Jalandhar resident, submitted that he should also be allowed to intervene in this case. He submitted a list of 2787 persons who, he claimed, were involved in the drug trade. He claimed the list had been provided to him by one Arjun who was later allegedly killed by the drug mafia. Despite the murder case having been registered, the police had made no progress. He had even written a letter to the Deputy Chief Minister in this regard. He stated that he had submitted the same report to the Jalandhar Police Commissioner but no action had been taken.
The state government, at the previous hearing, had submitted that efforts were being made to get extradited 11 drug smugglers residing in other countries. One of them was suspected to be in Canada and others in UK. Red alert had been issue for their arrest.
It was also submitted that the police had arrested 12,695 drug traffickers this year and recovered 438. 67 kg heroine from them. Besides, 12,369 injections and 20.95 lakh capsules and pills were also seized.
