Judicial Infrastructure and Drug Law Enforcement: Supreme Court Mandates Expansion of NDPS Courts
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The Supreme Court has issued a directive to the Union and State governments to establish 449 exclusive courts for NDPS Act cases within six months to address the mounting backlog of narcotics-related litigation.
The Supreme Court, in a significant intervention aimed at strengthening the judicial response to the narcotics crisis, has directed the Centre, States, and Union Territories to operationalize 449 exclusive courts dedicated to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant highlighted the stark disparity between the current judicial infrastructure and the rising volume of drug-related offences, noting that only 176 such courts are currently functional across the country.
This judicial mandate underscores a critical bottleneck in India’s criminal justice system. The NDPS Act, which carries stringent penal provisions, requires specialized adjudication to ensure both the protection of individual rights and the effective prosecution of drug syndicates. The current shortage of exclusive courts leads to prolonged pre-trial detention and delays in the administration of justice, which undermines the deterrent effect of the law. By setting a six-month deadline, the Court is pushing for a time-bound expansion of judicial capacity, which is essential for the rule of law in the context of the growing menace of drug trafficking.
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