Leh: Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved the constitution of a Screening Committee under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act, 1988, to strengthen the anti-narcotics framework in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The committee will scrutinise detention proposals submitted by sponsoring agencies, including the police, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and customs authorities, in cases related to drug trafficking before they are placed before the competent authority.
According to officials, the committee will examine evidence, assess the gravity of offences, evaluate the adequacy of material on record and recommend whether an accused poses a threat to public order warranting preventive detention. It will also facilitate coordination among enforcement agencies and strengthen the overall mechanism for tackling organised drug trafficking.
The PITNDPS Act provides for preventive detention of persons involved in illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. However, Ladakh did not have a formally constituted screening mechanism for prior scrutiny of detention proposals under the Act.
Officials said the absence of such a mechanism could lead to procedural inconsistencies and increase the possibility of detention orders being challenged on legal or procedural grounds. The newly constituted committee is expected to ensure due diligence, procedural uniformity and legal scrutiny before preventive detention powers are invoked.
Speaking on the development, the Lieutenant Governor said drug abuse posed a serious threat to the youth and social fabric of Ladakh and stressed the need for firm action against those involved in narcotics trafficking. He said preventive detention under the PITNDPS Act is an extraordinary legal measure and therefore requires rigorous scrutiny and legal examination before being applied.
The move comes amid concerns over a rise in drug abuse and narcotics-related cases in Ladakh in recent months. The administration has been pursuing a strategy that combines prevention, awareness, rehabilitation and stricter enforcement to curb the menace.
Officials said the initiative is in line with practices adopted by several states and Union Territories, where similar committees comprising senior police officers, legal experts and representatives of enforcement agencies examine detention proposals before they are forwarded to the competent authority.
