LIST OF DATES AND EVENTS Drug trafficking is a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. UNODC is continuously monitoring and researching global illicit drug markets in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their dynamics. Drug trafficking is a key part of this research. Further information can be found in the yearly World Drug Report. At current levels, world heroin consumption (340 tons) and seizures represent an annual flow of 430-450 tons of heroin into the global heroin market of that total, opium from Myanmar and the Lao People’s Democratic from Afghan opium. While approximately 5 tons are consumed in Afghanistan, the remaining bulk of 375 tons is trafficked worldwide via routes flowing into and through the countries neighbouring Afghanistan. The Balkan and northern routes are the main heroin trafficking corridors linking Afghanistan to the huge markets of the Russian Federation and Western Europe. The Baikan route traverses the Islamic Republic of Iran (often via Pakistan), Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria across South-East Europe to the Western European market, with annual market value of some $20billion, the northern route runs mainly through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan (of Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan) to Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. The size of that market is estimated to total $ 13 billion per year. The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has played a positive role in espousing the cause of the poor, indigent, under trial prisoners, women,

unorganised labour, Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribes, illegal mining, in maintaining the balance of environment etc. wherever there is a malaise, and this malaise is hindering the life of people this Hon’ble Court has been pleased to issue appropriate writ order or direction to put the things in right order and to bring ease and convenience to the life of the people. Through the Public Interest Litigation Citizens seek judicial intervention in a number of matters having the interest of public at large. Through this new jurisdiction, the judiciary has under taken responsibility as critics and monitors of the Govt. and its various agencies and to give socio-economic justice to the underprivileged masses without actually interfering with political administrative field or in the legislative sphere. S.P. Gupta Vs. Union of India AIR 1982 SC 49. The Public Interest Litigation brings justice to the doorsteps of the weak, the unorganized and exploited sections of the society who have no access to the courts because of the prohibitive cost of litigation. Public Interest Litigation is a means by which justice percolates down to the masses and made more accessible and available to the poor and victim of injustice. There are many fields where the Govt. has not taken proper steps to ensure safety to the lives of the people. Right to life is the most important fundamental right of the people. If the life is finished

or destroyed, then there is no use of anything to facilitate and to provide protection. It is with extreme distress that the petitioner has been reading in the newspapers regarding the increasing menace and threat of drug addiction in India which is literally driving the youth of this country to various health hazards and also premature deaths which are caused due to the addiction of deadly drugs in India. The Government of India and the State Governments have failed miserably in controlling the rising menace throughout the country as no strict actions are being taken to check and prevent drug peddling, drug trafficking and drug addictions in the country. The Students and young children are soul and pillars for the bright future of our country and it gives a compulsory duty on the state and its authorities to protect these innocent children from falling prey to any sort of addiction be it of alcohol or deadly drugs and other harmful addictive substances which not only affects the health of these children but also kills them. In various major cities of our country like Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Goa, Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Thane, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and other major cities of North Eastern States, problem of drug peddling, drug addiction is on steep rise among the age group between 14 to 30 years and also amongst various other age groups. It is sorry state of affair that drug peddling and drugaddiction has increased many fold but the police and the Government is sleeping over this issue as no coercive action seems to be taken by the police or the Government to control the

menace of drug peddling and drug addiction in cities mentioned above across the country. It is disturbing as per glaring facts being reported in newspapers that in cities like Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Goa, Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Thane, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and other major cities of North Eastern States; the college going students are indulging in drug peddling as well as drug addiction. In major cities across India the drug trafficking problem is on all-time high and the same is going on rampantly and audaciously without serious efforts of the Government as well as the police to check and restrict the menace of drug trafficking, drug addiction and drug peddling in college campuses, pubs and discotheques etc. It is the prime duty of the Government and police to protect the innocent school and college going students from any sort of exploitation. To protect the innocent children from drug abuse is a matter of utmost importance for not only the lives and careers of students but also for the future of our nation too. The menace of drug peddling, drug addiction and drug trafficking has increased many folds in major cities of our country, cities like Pune, Mumbai, Amritsar, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and many other cities are education hub and top destinations for post school studies in the country the number of students which comes in these cities every year is very high. In past few years these cities have become the biggest hub for drug trafficking as the drug peddlers target the innocent children away from their homes for sale of drugs. In these cities as reported in leading newspapers

the problem of drug addiction among college students has grown out of control as one out of every five students is into drugaddiction in cities like Pune. The problem doesn’t end to drugaddiction only but the problem has extended to these students becoming drug peddlers too. The problem of drug addiction and drug peddling has entered in schools also and the same is the most disturbing part as now the problem of drug addiction in above mentioned cities is existing between the age group 14 to 30 years. The Government, Police and other Law enforcing agencies are bound to finish the problem of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction in cities like Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Goa, Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Thane, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and other major cities of North Eastern States but the way the problem mentioned above has grown many folds, it can be easily pointed out that nothing is being done on this issue by the Government, Police and other Law Enforcement Agencies. The drug peddling and drug trafficking is being done openly and audaciously by the criminals right under the nose of Police and system but nothing is being done to prevent such crimes from taking place in these cities and various States of India. The fact can be found from the record of recovery of drugs by police or other concerned departments in past few years and as a matter of fact it seems that all these crimes are being done in hands and gloves with the Police and other concerned departments openly and without any fear.

The menace of drug peddling has also entered the campuses of prime colleges of these cities and no steps what so ever are being taken by even those colleges to curtail and restrict the use of drugs on their premises, rather a blame game is being played by the colleges instead of taking any consolidated steps. The problem of drug addiction, drug peddling has also entered the schools but least is being done to restrict such illegal activities in these cities. The Police across the country and the Government should take serious steps to restrict and finish off the menace of drug trafficking and drug peddling in above mentioned cities, as the same is the need of hour to protect the precious lives of school and college going students of our Country. In the States like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Assam, Mizoram, West Bengal, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and many other border States the inflow and smuggling of deadly drugs has become a piece of cake as the border control agencies which protect our borders seem to be helpless out of purpose in controlling the open smuggling of drugs into our country. Besides protecting the borders it is the duty of the border protecting agencies to prevent such daring inflow of drugs from across the bordering nations into our country. The States like Punjab, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Delhi, Goa etc are the worst affected States as a result of unstoppable drug inflow across the borders into our country. The menace of drugs is rising to serious levels across our country and government across these States and

Central Government seems to be ignorant towards this menace which is literally killing the innocent youth of our country. The present public interest litigation is brought before this Hon’ble Court not for the purpose of enforcing the right of one individual against another but it is intended to promote and vindicate public interest. It is for the protection and safety of the valuable lives of the numerous citizens of this country that the present public interest litigation is being filed. 04.04.2008

A detailed news article appeared on the internet site of Youth ki Awaaz titled “Drug Abuse in India”. In this article it is stated

that

on

26th

June

the

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit trafficking is celebrated. It is an exercise undertaken by the world community to sensitize the people in general and the youth in particular to the menace of drugs. Drug addiction causes immense human distress and the illegal production and distribution of drugs

have

spawned

crime

and

violence worldwide. Drug is the third largest business in the world after petroleum and arms trade with the turnover of around $500 billion. There is no part of the world that is free from the

curse of drug trafficking and drug addiction. This vicious circle of drug abuse has also caught up India and the number of drug addicts are increasing day by day. What started off as casual use among a minuscule population of high income youth in the metro has given way to intravenous drug use. Cannabis (often called charas, bhang or ganja), heroin, and India produced pharmaceutical drugs are the most frequently abused drugs in India. The

intravenous

injections

of

analgesics like dextropropoxphene etc. are also being taken in many states as it costs one tenth the cost of heroin and easily available. Drug abuse is a complex various

phenomenon social,

which

biological,

has

cultural,

historical, geographical and economic aspects. Incidence of eve teasing, group clashes, assault and impulsive murders increase with the drug abuse. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the major

areas

of

concern

which is

estimated that around 50 percent of the

boys have tried at least one of the gateway drugs by the time they reach the ninth grade. At the National level, drug abuse is linked with racketeering, conspiracy, corruption, illegal money transfers,

terrorism

threatening

the

and

violence

stability

of

governments. 19.9.2013

A detailed article appeared on internet on 19.9.2013 titled “Need to effectively manage the India-Nepal border”. It was said in the article that arrest of 2 high profile terrorists namely Abdul Karim Tunda and Yasin Bhatkal have brought the India- Nepal border into sharp focus. The arrest of these high profile terrorist indicated that terrorist and criminal groups are increasing using Nepal as a base because the open border with India allows them to enter and exit India with ease. In 1980’s and 1990’s the sikh and Kashmiri militants used to infiltrate into India through Nepal as fences were erected along India – Pakistan border. Besides, fake currency even drugs are smuggled into

India through Nepal border easily and are circulated throughout the country which seriously needs to be controlled. Besides the indo-nepal border other border areas adjoining Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan, North eastern States there seems to be lack of vigil and strictness by the forces as far as smuggling of drugs is concerned. It is high time that the Central

Government

and

border

protecting agencies like Army, B.S.F., I.T.B.P., S.S.B. are directed by the Government to take extra caution as far as smuggling of drugs into the territory of India is concerned. The border protecting agencies do a impeccable job in protecting the sovereignty of our country and in performing such duty thousands of precious lives of jawans and officers of these agencies have been lost and that supreme sacrifice cannot be ignored by the nation and the citizens of the country shall always be indebted to our forces for protecting our country and keeping us safe but, little

more strictness and vigil on the part of these border protecting agencies can do wonders in preventing the smuggling of drugs into the borders of India. 22.11.2013

A detailed news article appeared in a leading news magazine titled “NarcoNigerians”. In the said article it is mentioned

that

an

up-and-coming

Indian drug trafficker today is most likely a Nigerian plugged into global smuggling networks that carry the white powder from South America and deliver at the door steps of Indian consumers half way across the globe. The said article also discussed about a brutal murder of a Nigerian drug peddler at the hands of rival Indian drug gangs. An estimated 3 million tourists are supplied drugs in Goa at various beaches by these drug peddling gangs. Illegal staying of Nigerian nationals in Goa is also a serious problem as most of them are involved into drug peddling. In the said article the rise of Nigerians as drug peddlers in India has been discussed. The said article also discusses as to

how the drug peddlers operate in Goa, Mumbai, Thane and Delhi. In Goa majority of drug peddlers are from Russia, Nigeria, Israel and India. A detailed

report

assembly

was

which

filed

mentioned

in

Goa details

about police and drug mafia links and in the said report even the name of the Son of Home Minister of Goa involved in drug trade was mentioned. There is a serious nexus between drug peddlers, police and politicians in Goa as a result of which controlling the drug problem in Goa is a serious challenge and needs to be addressed on priority. 23.06.2014

That a detailed news article published in Hindustan Times on 23.06.2014 with the Heading “Delhi, Mumbai Top list of Indian Cities in drug trafficking” in which a report was published of the over 50 Indian

cities

which

reported

the

maximum cases of drug trafficking in 2012, the national capital is at the second spot behind Mumbai while Punjab leads among states followed by Uttar Pradesh, indicates data from the

National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). Citing comprehensive data available for 2012,

the

NCRB

said

Mumbai

registered the maximum cases of drug trafficking at 1,512 followed by Delhi with 829 cases therefore leading the group of 53 Indian cities that are highly active when it comes to drug trade. Data for 2013 is yet to be compiled. 14.08.2014

A detailed news article appeared in leading newspaper named Hindustan Times titled “Four out of 10 men addicted to drugs in Punjab “. In this article a report was published that it is impossible to cure the state of its deadly addiction to illicit drugs due to the steady supply from across Punjab’s border. The recent Police seizures have pushed the prices of drugs originating in Afghanistan and routed through Pakistan to sky high levels that the drug addicts cannot afford their daily fix and therefore are getting admitted to the deaddiction centres. It is a sorry saga that the lives of people of such a prosperous state of India has been totally destroyed

by drugs. It is also stated in the article that 4 out of the 10 men of the state are addicted to drugs, and half of which are youngsters

and

the

farmers.

The

analysis shows that heroin is largely a transit drug accounting for less than 7% consumers out of which 15% of the addicts crave for ‘Bhukki’ (poppy husk) and 20% need other synthetic drugs, most

of

which

pharmaceutical

come

units

from

in

the

Himachal

Pradesh. It is also stated in the article that the Drug rehab centres of the state are overcrowded because of the increasing number of drug addicts in the State. In the said article it has been reported that according to anti-narcotic agencies the primary reason for high levels of addiction in Punjab are traditional use of opium by farmers, the rising prices of alcohol, easy availability of narcotics from Himachal Pradesh and

a

thriving

smuggler-

Police-

Politician nexus which is hampering enforcement. In the said article though

the police claims are there that large amount of seizure of drugs have taken place in the State but the presence of such large amount of narcotics in the State of Punjab is itself a cause of serious worry. In the said article the proper nexus which is present in the State in trafficking of Heroin and other deadly drugs with its chain linked from Pakistan,

Afghanistan

Chennai,

Jammu

Himachal

Pradesh,

to

and

Delhi, Kashmir,

Haryana

is

mentioned and such a strong nexus of drug cartels across India and its borders is a serious cause of worry as if not controlled the menace of drugs will eat up the future of our country. 29.08.2014

A news article appeared on 29.08.2014 in a leading news paper titled “Mizoram grapples with Narcotic that gives a kick, addiction it can’t cure.” In the said article the smuggling of highly addictive narcotic

namely

methamphetamine

from Myanmar into India has been mentioned and it has been mentioned that the said drug is being brought into

large

consignments

regularly

in

Mizoram with 20,000 pills being brought into Mizoram every weekend. In the said article the menace of the above mentioned drug spoiling the youth and people

of

Mizoram

has

been

mentioned. It has also been mentioned that almost 20,000 people have died from official records since 1984 in Mizoram due to drug overdose. It is disturbing that the small State of Mizoram has lost so many people due to drug overdose and Government seems to be helpless in protecting its borders from drug trafficking as a result of which the innocent citizens of our country are falling prey to the menace of drugs. 5.11.2014

A news article appeared in the leading newspaper on 5.11.2014 titled “India on a ‘High’ with 7 drug addiction related suicides everyday.” In the said article it has been mentioned that at least 25,426 people committed suicide due to drug and addiction related problems in the last 10 years across India which

comes down to 2,542 suicides per year, 211 per month and 7 per day. It is mentioned in the article that suicides due to drug related problems exceed dowry, poverty, and money related suicides and as per the statistics the suicides have been steadily increasing and the number of suicides from 20042013 has jumped to a whopping 149%. According to official data from Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment India has an estimated 3.4 million drug abuse victims. It is also mentioned in the article that India highly vulnerable because it is sandwiched between two infamous

drug

routes

and

poppy

growing areas namely the “Golden Crescent”

on

the

Northwest

and

“Golden Triangle” on the Northeast where the drugs are easily available. Despite of country having 3.4 million drug abuse victims the Government has only

401

rehabilitation

centres

functioning at present which is 8,478 victims per centre. Only 10% of the drug abuse victims out of 3.4 million

known drug abusers have registered themselves in the de-addiction centres and

the

major

Maharashtra,

victims Uttar

are

from

Pradesh,

Karnataka, Odisha and Manipur. As per records per capita drug victims is highest in North eastern States as these States are biggest home to the drug abusers. As per records from 2011-2014 around 100 million kilogram of drugs was seized across India and Punjab and North eastern States lead in drug seizures. Though in India huge amount of drug is seized from its various parts but, the seized drugs are not

destroyed

by

the

concerned

authorities as a result of which they find their way again into the market. It is high

time

destruction

that of

loss seized

relating drugs

to and

narcotics is made and implemented strongly in our country to prevent the destruction of our country and its people. 19.04.2015

An article appeared in a leading newspaper on 19.04.2015 titled “Young

Punjab in rehab: A story of unequal cure, unlicensed centres and a few good men.” The said article initially discusses about the arrest of a person named Jagdish Bhola on whose arrest Rs.6000 crores synthetic drugs scam was unearthed. The said article also discusses about illegal rehabilitation centres being run in the State which are over full and are being run without the licenses. The problem of drugs has grown beyond control with very less very less rehabilitation centres and that too licensed ones. The problem of drugs is running through families where brother is introducing his sister to drugs or a son is killing his mother to procure money for drugs. In the said article the role of private clinics and hospitals in introducing patients to drugs has also been mentioned. The private hospitals and their doctors prescribe various drugs without informing their patients as a result of which the patients are becoming

habitual

to

certain

prescription drugs. This activity of

Private doctors and hospitals is going unchecked and unpunished. 26.6.2015

A news article appeared on internet titled “India’s soaring Drug problem: 455% rise in confiscation”. In the said article it has been mentioned that India has witnessed 455% increase in drug hauls over 3 years from 2011- 2013 according to data released by the Government

to

the

Parliament.

According to the article the officials have seized 105, 173 tonnes of illegal drugs over this period. According to the article India is a prime market for illicit opiates originating in both Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia. According to latest available data 10.7 million Indians more than the population of Sweden are drug users. Out of 10.7 million 8.7 million consume cannabis and 2 million use opiates, according to the U.N. Survey. Mizoram, Punjab and Manipur are among the States where people are more vulnerable to drug use reason being borders

connectivity and

to

international

international

drug

trafficking

zones

such

as

Golden

Triangle (Myanmar, Thailand and Laos) and Golden Crescent (Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan). According to the article Mizoram tops the list of the States where drugs were seized : 48,209 tonnes over the past 4 years, followed by Punjab by 39,064 tonnes. Some of the drugs seized include amphetamine, cannabis plant, cocaine, ephedrine, ganja,

hashish,

heroin,

ketamine,

lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), acetic anhydride, methaqualone

methamphetamine, (Mandrax),

morphine

and opium. According to statistics of 2014 top 5 States of drug seizures are Mizoram, Punjab, Manipur, New Delhi and Assam. As per the reports as many as 64,737 drug trafficking cases have been reported in past 4 years out of which Punjab tops the list with 21,549 cases registered over 4 years. In Manipur there are an estimated 50,000 drug addicts of whom nearly half are injecting drug users. As per a survey 67% of rural households in Punjab have

one drug or alcohol addict, 70% of the young men are addicted to drugs or alcohol according to a Government report. As per study 12% of the drug addicts are below the age of 15, 31% in the age group of 16 to 25 years and 56% in the age group of 25 – 35%. As per the Government report as many as 64,302 were

people arrested

including

foreigners

on

trafficking

drug

charges across India over the past 4 years out of which highest foreign nationals were from Nepal, Nigeria and Burma. In terms of drugs smuggling India Bangladesh border is the most vulnerable border,

followed

by

India-Myanmar

Indo-Nepal border

and

India-Pakistan border. It is high time that the strictness at the borders of India should be increased to a whole new level and it is also a high time that death sentence should be introduced for repeated offenders of drug trafficking. In our society the people believe that there should be a capital punishment for rape

cases but it is a high time that the amendments in NDPS Act are made by introducing

Death

penalty

in

drug

trafficking cases in India. These drug traffickers for greed of money are destroying the future of our country as almost 55% of the drug users are from the age of 15 to 35 in our country. 26.06.2015

A news article appeared in a famous daily newspaper on 26.06.2015 titled “Alcoholism, substance abuse on rise among

women”.

The

said

article

discuss that there is a steep rise in the consumption of drugs by women in State of Punjab. The use of heroin is the highest followed by liquor and opium. The said article also discuss that a number of women drug users is on steep rise in Punjab which is causing major health problems for women and also destroying the family life of such women drug users. In the said article it has been discussed that the drug de-addiction centres have registered 510% increase In the women drug addicts across the State. The

major reason for rise in drug addictions is easy availability of drugs across the State especially the drugs coming across the borders from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The State government and the

Border

security

forces

have

miserably failed to restrict the inflow and smuggling of drugs across the borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The efforts by State are mere eye wash as the big kingpins which are indulging into drug dealings and trafficking are roaming freely in the connivance with the

local police and political leaders

rather the officers of police force across the State of Punjab, the Political leaders and the drug traffickers are running

an

organised

drugs

syndicatewithout any restrictions and check as a result of which the State of Punjab is heading towards disaster and destruction and if not controlled the State will perish due to uncontrolled drug problems. 30.06.2015

A news article appeared in a leading news

channel

titled

“Indian

De-

addiction centres lack proper facilities”. As per the article around 70% of deaddiction centres in India do not have the

standard

treatment

and

care

facilities leading to chances of relapse among the drug addicts. Most of the centres don’t follow norms and are not trained to handle a lot of medical and mental needs of the patients during the treatment process. Even the latest medications

required

for

the

de-

addiction program are not available with these de-addiction centres. The matter of fact is that in India the number of deaddiction

centres

are

negligible

compared to the number of drug addicts in India. It is the duty of the Central and State Governments to increase the number of drug deaddiction centres with appropriate and qualified

staff

even

the

latest

technology and equipment needs to be introduced in our country for effective and

proper

management

of

drug

addicts and their problems in India. The drug de-addiction centres in India do

not

have

any

rehabilitate

proper

a

facilities

drug

addict

to and

rehabilitation of drug addict across the country is the biggest challenge which needs

to

be

overcome

Government

to

prevent

generations

of

our

by

the

the future

country

from

perishing to the problem of drugs. It is the duty of the government to make specialised centres in every state and appropriate in number to fight the menace of drugs within the country. There

shall

be

no

use

of

the

development of our country if the future generation will get wiped out to the menace and addiction of drugs. 06.09.2015

A news article appeared in a leading newspaper titled “Drug abuse growing among teenagers in Goa : NGO.” In the said

article

substance

it

is

abuse

mentioned which

is

that

largely

associated with adults, has now tricked down to teenagers with a growing number

of

school

children

getting

addicted to various narcotics in Goa. The trend of teenagers consuming

drugs has suddenly risen in last two and a half years in Goa and police is taking no action what so ever in controlling the menace of drugs across Goa. The problem of drug abuse is not only a cause of concern in State of Goa but the entire nation and its teenagers are falling prey to the menace of drugs and the number of teenagers becoming drug addicts is a serious cause of concern and needs to be taken care of at the earliest by the Government. The Government of India and the State Governments are not taking any steps what so ever to control the menace of drugs and it is the duty of the Government to protect the future of our country from the menace of drugs. 21.11.2015

A news article appeared in a leading newspaper on 21.11.2015 titled “The youth in Punjab is addicted to this ‘Terror’ that’s threatening the State’s future.” In the said article it is stated that Punjab which is the land of Five Rivers, sanctified place which has been blessed by 10 sikh gurus, many peers,

valiant warriors of the nation is crying in agony today. The State which was once known for its sheer beauty, lush green farms,

gleaming

water

streams,

stunning back drop is now popular for some spiteful reasons as well. The State of Punjab is bleeding not because of Khalistan terrorism but because of Narco terrorism. The main reason behind

increase

in

drug

addiction

across the State of Punjab starts from partition, Khalistan, operation Blue Star, communal

riots,

black

thunder,

terrorism, migrations and the failure of mighty State Government to provide employment opportunities to the youth along with easy access to drugs, all this has collectively led Punjab to go to rack and ruin. In the said article it has also been mentioned that 75% of youth in Punjab is hooked to drugs like heroin, smack, cocaine and many synthetic drugs. Out of these 75% drug addicts about 30% are HIV positive. According to latest report by the Narcotics Control Bureau

(NCB)

Punjab

alone

has

registered 50% of the total drug related cases in the country but, the State Government is not at all bothered to take steps which are must in the present situation to control the menace of drugs from the State of Punjab. It is also mentioned in the said article that there is a strong nexus between police, politicians and smugglers which is the main reason for the steep rise in the drug trafficking and drug addiction problem in Punjab. Even the Central Government has become soft towards the State Government as a result of which there is no control what so ever in drug trafficking and drug addiction problem in the State of Punjab. The drugs smuggled from the borders of Punjab is not only destroying Punjab alone but is destroying the other parts of the country as well which are situated near Punjab. 07.01.2016

A news article appeared in a leading news magazine titled “Pathankot terror attack: Corrupt B.S.F. official- drug cartel nexus helped terror operatives”.

In the said article as the statement of former D.G. B.S.F. the Pathankot attack was a result of alleged drug cartel – terrorism nexus. The corrupt B.S.F. officials are hand in gloves with the drug rackets active in Punjab and it is them

who

helped

the

Pakistani

terrorists sneak into India from the border with Pakistan. There is no shortage

of

required

necessary

equipment to keep a check on borders but somewhere there is a lack of necessary strictness and vigil as a result of which smuggling of drugs has increased in the State of Punjab and the same is the reason behind the recent terrorist attack at Pathankot Air base. 31.01.2016

A news article appeared in the leading news paper titled “Hard drugs that are coming through the L.O.C. may be slipping under the radar”. As per the article there is a increase in the smuggling of narcotics drugs through the borders from the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The drug trafficking is

more prevalent in Jammu region along the international borders in Kathua and Samba districts where the security along the border is less significant. Drugs are being passed through p.v.c. pipes under the fencing, there are negligible

efforts

Government protecting

and

agencies

by

the

other to

State border

control

the

menace of drug trafficking into India across the Borders of Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir region. This is not only the problem of the State of Jammu and Kashmir or Punjab, there is a serious lack of proper check and vigil on the borders across India even in North eastern States. There is a serious urgency to control and check the borders of our country from where the drugs are sneaked into our country and then distributed throughout the country. The Government needs to take serious steps in controlling drug smuggling into our country across the borders. 10.04.2016

A news article appeared in a leading newspaper titled “Pune: 1 in 5 students

doing drugs” in the said article it is mentioned

that

drug

addictions

amongst Pune students is on all time high as a result of which every 1 student out of 5 students is a drug addict in Pune. The reasons for high rise in cases of drug addiction is the lack of police vigil in the city and easy availability of drugs on the streets of Pune as there is a strong connivance between police and drug peddlers in the city of Pune. The said article also says that the drugs are easily available right from slums pan shops. There are places in the city of Pune like patil estate slums, shivajinagar, nal stop, ravivar peth, swargate, lulla nagar where the drugs are openly sold by the drug peddlers and now the situation is that the drug addicts students are used as drug peddlers to supply the drugs to the other students. The menace is on such a rise that even in the hostels of famous colleges the drug peddling and drug addiction has become common and the college authorities are helpless

in controlling the menace of drugs from there

campus.

The

State

of

Maharashtra has large number of drug addiction and drug trafficking problems. Cities

like

Nagpur

Mumbai,

and

other

Thane, big

Pune,

cities

of

Maharashtra are facing steep rise in the problem of drug addiction and drug peddling

as

the

State

and

the

concerned authorities are not taking necessary steps and actions to control the rising menace of drugs. That day is not far if the steps to control and eliminate the problem of drugs is not taken by the authorities then the State of Maharashtra will be at par to the State

of

trafficking

Punjab and

as drug

far

as

drug

addiction

is

concerned. It is surprising and sad that the State Governments of Punjab, Maharashtra and other North Eastern States are in total denial of any drug problem existing in their State whereas the plague of drugs is spreading like the wild fire across the country. If this fire of drugs

is

not

stopped

by

the

Government, then India will lose its future and its citizens especially youth to the menace of drugs. 07.04.2016

A news article appeared in the leading newspaper titled “Udta Haryana: even 14 year olds on a high.” In the said article

it

was

mentioned that

the

Government rehabs in Haryana get about 20 youths daily suffering from drug addiction problem and most of them are below 35 years of age. It was also discussed in the article that most drug addiction problem is of smack, poppy husk, psychotropic tablets and alcohol. In the said article a startling revelation was done according to which the poppy husk is supplied in villages during the time of elections. It is devastating that throughout the country the distribution of drugs at the time of elections by the prospective candidates or their people has become a common thing and the Government be it State or Central have turned blind as far as this issue of drugs is concerned.

11.04.2016

A news article appeared in the leading newspaper

Indian

Express

on

11.04.2016 titled “Pune: rising cases of drug abuse among teens”, in the said article a story of a girl from an excellent student to a drug addict and a drug peddler

has

been

mentioned

and

disturbing part is that it’s a true story of most

of

the

youngsters

who

are

indulging into not only drug addiction but also drug peddling to keep their supply of drugs for personal use constant. In the said article it has been mentioned that in the past 5 years the number of drug abuse cases in females and youngsters in the age group from 14 to 16 has increased substantially. It has been mentioned in the article that college students not only consume drugs but are also peddling drugs for easy money. In the said article it has been mentioned that out of 100 persons which are admitted at one of the Pune’s leading de-addiction centres majority of them is under the age of 21 years. In the said article it has been mentioned

that the cases of substance abuse is on all-time high in college students and the same is not restricted to boys as girls are also indulging into drug-addiction and drug peddling. It is also mentioned in the said article that there is a steep rise in the drug addiction cases among children between 14 to 18 years of age.it is also mentioned in the article as to how easy it has become to procure and consume drugs in Pune city. 15.06.2016

A

news

article

appeared

on

internettitled “Udta Bengaluru: How south India’s drug capital is on a dangerous high.” In the said article it is mentioned that there is a steep rise in rampant drug abuse in I.T. city of Bengaluru. As per records Bengaluru with a huge floating population is infamous as the drug capital of South India. There has been a steep rise in seizures of drugs by the authorities. All kinds of drugs are sold in Bengaluru. There is a steep rise in the cases of youngsters becoming drug addicts in city of Bengaluru.

17.06.2016

A news article appeared in the leading newspaper

titled

“Udta

Punjab:

A

riveting doze of reality.” In the article there is a discussion about a latest Hindi movie namely ‘Udta Punjab’ which was released across the world and in the movie the problem of drug abuse in Punjab has been highlighted. In the said article it is written that due to the films depiction of reality about drug abuse in Punjab it is easy to see why influential forces wouldn’t want it to be seen by the general public in India. The said film point out the role of politicians, fake pharma companies that divert Government

controlled

supplies

of

opium to feed the State’s drug cartel. The film though a work of fiction clearly depicts the reality of helplessness of the residents of Punjab in tackling the menace of drugs as the Government and police is working hand in gloves with the drug cartels. The problem of drug trafficking, drug addiction, drug peddling across India is spreading like a wild fire and the same is engulfing the

youth

of

our

country

and

the

Government is not taking any steps what so ever to control the menace of drugs. Protection of the lives of the citizens of this country especially youth is the prime duty of the Government of India and State Governments and safety of lives is guaranteed under Article 21 of our constitution, but the Government

is

in

total

denial

in

protecting the lives of its citizens from the menace of drugs. 9.7.2016

That Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh on Friday i.e. 8.7.2016 said in a Meeting Drug abuse and trafficking pose a serious threat and generates the resources that fuel Narco-Terrorism. The

meeting

is

attended

by

representatives and envoys of countries belonging to the BRICS, an association of five major emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. 12.7.2016

Hence the instant Public Interest Litigation for kind consideration by this Hon’ble Court.

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL ORIGINAL JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) NO.

OF 2016

IN THE MATTER OF: Vineet Dhanda S/o Dr. J.P. Dhanda Flat No.0102, Sector No.9 Supreme Court Bar Association Multi-State Group Housing Society Sector 99, Noida, Goutam Budh Nagar, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201303 ...Petitioner VERSUS

1.

Union of India Through the Secretary Secretary Department of Home, Room no. 113, North Block, New Delhi -110001

2.

Union of India through the Secretary Ministry of Defence 104, South Block, New Delhi-110001

3.

Union of India through the Secretary Department of Health and Family Welfare Nirman Bhawan, C-Wing, New Delhi -110001

4.

Union of India Through the Secretary Ministry of Law & Justice Shastri Bhawan, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi – 110001

5.

State of Andhra Pradesh Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh)

6.

State of Assam Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Dispur (Assam)

7. State of Arunachal Pradesh Through the Chief Secretary

Arunachal Bhawan, Chanakyapuri New Delhi 8.

State of Bihar Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Patna (Bihar)

9.

State of Chhattisgarh Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Raipur (Chhattisgarh)

10. State of Goa Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Panan(Goa) 11. State of Gujarat Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Gandhi Nagar (Gujarat) 12. State of Haryana Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Chhattisgarh 13. State of Himachal Pradesh Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Shimla (H.P) 14. State of Jammu & Kashmir Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Srinagar (J & K) 15. State of Jharkhand Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Ranchi (Jharkhand) 16. State of Karnataka Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Bangalore (Karnataka) 17. State of Kerala Through its Chief Secretary Secretariat Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala)

18. The State of Madhya Pradesh Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Bhopal (M.P) 19.

State of Maharashtra Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Mumbai (Maharashtra)

20.

State of Manipur Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Imphal (Manipur)

21.

State of Meghalaya Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Shilong (Meghalaya)

22.

State of Mizoram Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Aizwal (Mizoram)

23.

State of Nagaland Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Kohima (Nagaland)

24.

State of Orissa Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Bhubneshwar(Orissa)

25. State of Punjab Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Chandigarh, Punjab 26.

State of Rajasthan Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Jaipur (Rajasthan)

27.

State of Sikkim Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Gangtok (Sikkim)

28.

State of Tamil Nadu

Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Chennai (Tamil Nadu) 29.

State of Tripura Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Agartala (Tripura)

30.

State of Uttarakhand Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Dehradun (Uttrakhand)

31.

State of Uttar Pradesh Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Lucknow (U.P.)

32.

State of West Bengal Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Kolkata (West Bengal)

33. State of Telangana Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat Hyderabad 34. Union Territory of Chandigarh Through the Home Secretary U.T. (4th Floor)Secretariat, Sector-9, Chandigarh 35.

Government of NCT of Delhi Through the Chief Secretary Secretariat I.P. State, New Delhi ...RESPONDENTS

AND IN THE MATTER OF:PETITION

UNDER

ARTICLE

32

OF

THE

CONSTITUTION OF INDIA FOR ISSUANCE OF AN APPROPRIATE WRIT IN THE NATURE OF MANDAMUS FOR ORDER OR DIRECTION TO THE RESPONDENTS. TO

THE HON’BLE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA AND HIS HON’BLE COMPANION JUSTICES OF THE HON”BLE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA AT NEW DELHI THE

HUMBLE

PETITION

OF

THE

PETITIONER ABOVE NAMED MOST RESPECTFULLY SHOWETH:1.

That the petitioner is a practising Advocate in the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. The petitioner is filing the present petition in Public Interest, when it has been seen that the authorities of the government are not taking proper steps to control the menace of rising drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction throughout the country. The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has played a positive role in espousing the cause of the poor, indigent, under trial prisoners, women, unorganised labour, Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribes, illegal mining, in maintaining the balance of environment etc. wherever there is a malaise, and this malaise is hindering the life of a people this Hon’ble Court has been please to issue appropriate writ order or direction to put the things in right order and to bring ease and convenience to the life of the people.

2.

That the petitioner has not approached any Authority or tribunal for the same relief. The petitioner is a practising lawyer in Supreme Court of India. Annual Income: 1 Crore. His PAN No. is AHVPD7813N. His Mobile No. are +91-9811013810. The e-mail address of the Petitioner is [email protected]. That there is no personal gain, private motive or oblique

reason for filing the PIL. The public interest litigation is the only mode and a proper way to ensure the protection of human being as well as the prime duty of government and administration. 3.

That through the Public Interest Litigation Citizens seek judicial intervention in a number of matters having the interest of public at large. Through this new jurisdiction, the judiciary has under taken responsibility as critics and monitors of the Govt. and its various agencies and to give socio-economic justice to the underprivileged masses without actually interfering with political administrative field or in the legislative sphere. S.P. Gupta Vs. Union of India AIR 1982 SC 49. The Public Interest Litigation brings justice to the doorsteps of the weak, the unorganized and exploited sections of the society who have no access to the courts because of the prohibitive cost of litigation.

4.

That the Public Interest Litigation is a means by which justice percolates down to the masses and made more accessible and available to the poor and victim of injustice. There are many fields where the Govt. has not taken proper steps to ensure safety to the lives of the people. Right to life is the most important fundamental right of the people. If the life is finished or destroyed, then there is no use of anything to facilitate and to provide protection.

5.

That with extreme distress the petitioner has been reading in the newspapers regarding the increasing menace and threat of drug addiction in India which is literally driving

the youth of this country to various health hazards and also premature deaths which are caused due to the addiction of deadly drugs in India. The Government of India and the State Governments have failed miserably in controlling the rising menace throughout the country as no strict actions are being taken to check and prevent drug peddling, drug trafficking and drug addictions in the country. 6.

That the Students and young children are soul and pillars for the bright future of our country and it gives a compulsory duty on the state and its authorities to protect these innocent children from falling prey to any sort of addiction be it of alcohol or deadly drugs and other harmful addictive substances which not only affects the health of these children but also kills them. In various major cities of our country like Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Goa, Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Thane, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and other major cities of North Eastern States, problem of drug peddling, drug addiction is on steep rise among the age group between 14 to 30 years and also amongst various other age groups. It is sorry state of affair that drug peddling and drug-addiction has increased many fold but the police and the Government is sleeping over this issue as no coercive action seems to be taken by the police or the Government

to control the menace of drug peddling and drug addiction in cities mentioned above across the country. 7.

That it is disturbing as per glaring facts being reported in newspapers that in cities like Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Goa, Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Thane, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and other major cities of North Eastern States; the college going students are indulging in drug peddling as well as drug addiction. In major cities across India the drug trafficking problem is on all-time high and the same is going on rampantly and audaciously without serious efforts of the Government as well as the police to check and restrict the menace of drug trafficking, drug addiction and drug peddling in college campuses, pubs and discotheques etc. It is the prime duty of the Government and police to protect the innocent school and college going students from any sort of exploitation. To protect the innocent children from drug abuse is a matter of utmost importance for not only the lives and careers of students but also for the future of our nation too.

8.

That the menace of drug peddling, drug addiction and drug trafficking has increased many folds in major cities of our country, cities like Pune, Mumbai, Amritsar, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad and many other cities are education hub and top destinations for post school studies in the country the number of students which comes in

these cities every year is very high. In past few years these cities have become the biggest hub for drug trafficking as the drug peddlers target the innocent children away from their homes for sale of drugs. In these cities as reported in leading newspapers the problem of drug addiction among college students has grown out of control as one out of every five students is into drugaddiction in cities like Pune. The problem doesn’t end to drug-addiction only but the problem has extended to these students becoming drug peddlers too. The problem of drug addiction and drug peddling has entered in schools also and the same is the most disturbing part as now the problem of drug addiction in above mentioned cities is existing between the age group 14 to 30 years. 9.

That the Government, Police and other Law enforcing agencies are bound to finish the problem of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction in cities like Mumbai,

Nagpur,

Pune,

Goa,

Delhi,

Amritsar,

Chandigarh, Bangalore, Thane, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and other major cities of North Eastern States but the way the problem mentioned above has grown many folds, it can be easily pointed out that nothing is being done on this issue by the Government, Police and other Law Enforcement Agencies. The drug peddling and drug trafficking is being done openly and audaciously by the criminals right under the nose of Police and system but

nothing is being done to prevent such crimes from taking place in these cities and various States of India. The fact can be found from the record of recovery of drugs by police or other concerned departments in past few years and as a matter of fact it seems that all these crimes are being done in hands and gloves with the Police and other concerned departments openly and without any fear. 10. That the menace of drug peddling has also entered the campuses of prime colleges of these cities and no steps what so ever are being taken by even those colleges to curtail and restrict the use of drugs on their premises, rather a blame game is being played by the colleges instead of taking any consolidated steps. The problem of drug addiction, drug peddling has also entered the schools but least is being done to restrict such illegal activities in these cities. 11. That the Police across the country and the Government should take serious steps to restrict and finish off the menace of drug trafficking and drug peddling in above mentioned cities, as the same is the need of hour to protect the precious lives of school and college going students of our Country.In the States like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Assam, Mizoram, West Bengal, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and many other border States the inflow and smuggling of deadly drugs has become a piece of cake as the border control

agencies which protect our borders seem to be helpless out of purpose in controlling the open smuggling of drugs into our country. Besides protecting the borders, it is the duty of the border protecting agencies to prevent such daring inflow of drugs from across the bordering nations into our country. 12. That the States like Punjab, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Delhi, Goa etc are the worst affected States as a result of unstoppable drug inflow across the borders into our country. The menace of drugs is rising to serious levels across our country and government across these States and Central Government seems to be ignorant towards this menace which is literally killing the innocent youth of our country. 13. That it is the duty of Government of India and the State Governments to ensure the implementation of laws to restrict and curb the rising menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction. It is the duty of the government to provide clean and healthy environment with proper and safe nourishment for proper survival of the citizens of this country. It is also the duty of the Government to prevent the destruction of the health and lives of the citizens of this country but no efforts are being made by the Government of India or the State Government to protect the health and lives of the citizens

of this country and also protect the economy of our country on which the citizens of this country are also dependant. 14. That the petitioner is highly spirited and law abiding citizen of the country. The petitioner is really interested that something promptly be done by the Government for the safety of the people to check and prevent the rising menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction which is literally killing the innocent citizens of this country and is even endangering the future generations to come. 15.

That by way of the instant public interest litigation the petitioner is seeking the indulgence of this Hon’ble Court for direction to Government of India, State Governments and other appropriate authorities like Health Ministry, Ministry of Defence, Home Ministry, Ministry of Law and Justice to ensure the proper implementation of existing laws regarding controlling the rising menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction and frame new laws and policies to restrict the rising menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction and in turn protect the health and lives of the citizens of this country and also the economy of our country.

16.

That the petitioner is not a way fairer, nor an interloper but a sensitive and sincere citizen of this country and takes a keen interest in the safety of the people of this country

and protection of the health and lives of the citizens of this country and also the economy of our country. 17.

That the public interest litigation is the only mode and proper way to get the directions to the government of India and other responsible departments to ensure the prevention of the increasing problem and rising menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction in our country.

18.

That the present public interest litigation is brought before this Hon’ble Court not for the purpose of enforcing the right of one individual against another but it is intended to promote and vindicate public interest. It is for the protection and safety of the valuable lives of the numerous citizens of this country that the present public interest litigation is being filed.

19.

That a detailed news article appeared on 4.4.2008 on the internet site of Youth ki Awaaz titled “Drug Abuse in India”. In this article it is stated that on 26 June International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit trafficking is celebrated. It is an exercise undertaken by the world community to sensitize the people in general and the youth in particular to the menace of drugs. Drug addiction causes

immense

human

distress

and

the

illegal

production and distribution of drugs have spawned crime and violence worldwide. Drugs is the third largest business in the world after petroleum and arms trade with

the turnover of around $500 billion. There is no part of the world that is free from the curse of drug trafficking and drug addiction. This vicious circle of drug abuse has also caught up India and the number of drug addicts are increasing day by day. What started off as casual use among a minuscule population of high income youth in the metro has given way to intravenous drug use. Cannabis (often called charas, bhang or ganja), heroin, and India produced pharmaceutical drugs are the most frequently abused drugs in India.The intravenous injections of analgesics like dextropropoxphene etc. are also being taken in many states as it costs one tenth the cost of heroin and easily available. Drug abuse is a complex phenomenon which has various social, biological, cultural, historical, geographical and economic aspects. Incidence of eve teasing, group clashes, assault and impulsive murders increase with the drug abuse. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the major areas of concern which is estimated that around 50 percent of the boys have tried at least one of the gateway drugs by the time they reach the ninth grade. At the National level, drug abuse is linked with racketeering, conspiracy, corruption, illegal money transfers, terrorism and violence threatening the stability of governments. A copy of the Article dated 4.4.2008 is Annexure P – 1 with this petition.

20.

That a detailed article appeared on internet on 19.9.2013 titled “Need to effectively manage the India-Nepal border”. It was said in the article that arrest of 2 high profile terrorists namely Abdul Karim Tunda and Yasin Bhatkal have brought the India- Nepal border into sharp focus. The arrest of these high profile terrorist indicated that terrorist and criminal groups are increasing using Nepal as a base because the open border with India allows them to enter and exit India with ease. In 1980’s and 1990’s the sikh and Kashmiri militants used to infiltrate into India through Nepal as fences were erected along India – Pakistan border. Besides, fake currency even drugs are smuggled into India through Nepal border easily and are circulated throughout the country which seriously needs to be controlled. Besides the indo-nepal border other border areas adjoining Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan, North eastern States there seems to be lack of vigil and strictness by the forces as far as smuggling of drugs is concerned. It is high time that the Central Government and border protecting agencies like Army, B.S.F., I.T.B.P., S.S.B. are directed by the Government to take extra caution as far as smuggling of drugs into the territory of India is concerned. The border protecting agencies

do

a

impeccable

job

in

protecting

the

sovereignty of our country and in performing such duty thousands of precious lives of jawans and officers of

these agencies have been lost and that supreme sacrifice cannot be ignored by the nation and the citizens of the country shall always be indebted to our forces for protecting our country and keeping us safe but, little more strictness and vigil on the part of these border protecting agencies can do wonders in preventing the smuggling of drugs into the borders of India. A copy of the Article dated 19.9.2013 is Annexure P – 2 with this petition. 21.

That on 22.11.2013 a detailed news article appeared in a leading news magazine titled “Narco-Nigerians”. In the said article it is mentioned that an up-and-coming Indian drug trafficker today is most likely a Nigerian plugged into global smuggling networks that carry the white powder from South America and deliver at the door steps of Indian consumers half way across the globe. The said article also discussed about a brutal murder of a Nigerian drug peddler at the hands of rival Indian drug gangs. An estimated 3 million tourists are supplied drugs in Goa at various beaches by these drug peddling gangs. Illegal staying of Nigerian nationals in Goa is also a serious problem as most of them are involved into drug peddling. In the said article the rise of Nigerians as drug peddlers in India has been discussed. The said article also discusses as to how the drug peddlers operate in Goa, Mumbai, Thane and Delhi. In Goa majority of drug peddlers are from Russia, Nigeria, Israel and India. A detailed report

was filed in Goa assembly which mentioned details about police and drug mafia links and in the said report even the name of the Son of Home Minister of Goa involved in drug trade was mentioned. There is a serious nexus between drug peddlers, police and politicians in Goa as a result of which controlling the drug problem in Goa is a serious challenge and needs to be addressed on priority. A copy of the Article dated 22.11.2013 is Annexure P – 3 with this petition. 22.

That on 23.06.2014 a detailed news article appeared in “Hindustan Times” with the Heading “Delhi, Mumbai Top list of Indian Cities in drug trafficking” in which a report was published of the over 50 Indian cities which reported the maximum cases of drug trafficking in 2012, the national capital is at the second spot behind Mumbai while Punjab leads among states followed by Uttar Pradesh, indicates data from the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). Citing comprehensive data available for 2012, the NCRB said Mumbai registered the maximum cases of drug trafficking at 1,512 followed by Delhi with 829 cases therefore leading the group of 53 Indian cities that are highly active when it comes to drug trade. Data for 2013 is yet to be compiled. A copy of the news Article dated 23.6.2014 is annexed as Annexure P-4.

23.

That on 14.08.2014 a detailed news article appeared in leading newspaper named Hindustan Times titled “Four

out of 10 men addicted to drugs in Punjab “. In this article a report was published that it is impossible to cure the state of its deadly addiction to illicit drugs due to the steady supply from across Punjab’s border. The recent Police seizures have pushed the prices of drugs originating in Afghanistan and routed through Pakistan to sky high levels that the drug addicts cannot afford their daily fix and therefore are getting admitted to the deaddiction centres. It is a sorry saga that the lives of people of such a prosperous state of India has been totally destroyed by drugs. It is also stated in the article that 4 out of the 10 men of the state are addicted to drugs, and half of which are youngsters and the farmers. The analysis shows that heroin is largely a transit drug accounting for less than 7% consumers out of which 15% of the addicts crave for ‘Bhukki’ (poppy husk) and 20% need other synthetic drugs, most of which come from the pharmaceutical units in Himachal Pradesh.It is also stated in the article that the Drug rehab centres of the state are overcrowded because of the increasing number of drug addicts in the State.In the said article it has been reported that according to anti-narcotic agencies the primary reason for high levels of addiction in Punjab are traditional use of opium by farmers, the rising prices of alcohol, easy availability of narcotics from Himachal Pradesh and a thriving

smuggler-

Police-Politician

nexus

which

is

hampering enforcement. In the said article though the police claims are there that large amount of seizure of drugs have taken place in the State but the presence of such large amount of narcotics in the State of Punjab is itself a cause of serious worry. In the said article the proper nexus which is present in the State in trafficking of Heroin and other deadly drugs with its chain linked from Pakistan, Afghanistan to Delhi, Chennai, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana is mentioned and such a strong nexus of drug cartels across India and its borders is a serious cause of worry as if not controlled the menace of drugs will eat up the future of our country. A copy of the Article 14.8.2014 is Annexure P – 5 with this petition. 24.

That on 29.08.2014 a news article appeared on 29.08.2014 in a leading newspaper titled “Mizoram grapples with Narcotic that gives a kick, addiction it can’t cure.” In the said article the smuggling of highly addictive narcotic namely methamphetamine from Myanmar into India has been mentioned and it has been mentioned that the said drug is being brought into large consignments regularly in Mizoram with 20,000 pills being brought into Mizoram every weekend. In the said article the menace of the above mentioned drug spoiling the youth and people of Mizoram has been mentioned. It has also been mentioned that almost 20,000 people have died from

official records since 1984 in Mizoram due to drug overdose. It is disturbing that the small State of Mizoram has lost so many people due to drug overdose and Government seems to be helpless in protecting its borders from drug trafficking as a result of which the innocent citizens of our country are falling prey to the menace of drugs. A copy of the article dated 29.8.2014 is Annexure P – 6 with this petition. 25.

That on 5.11.2014 a news article appeared in the leading newspaper on 5.11.2014 titled “India on a ‘High’ with 7 drug addiction related suicides everyday.” In the said article it has been mentioned that at least 25,426 people committed suicide due to drug and addiction related problems in the last 10 years across India which comes down to 2,542 suicides per year, 211 per month and 7 per day. It is mentioned in the article that suicides due to drug related problems exceed dowry, poverty, and money related suicides and as per the statistics the suicides have been steadily increasing and the number of suicides from 2004-2013 has jumped to a whopping 149%. According to official

data

from

Ministry

of

Social

Justice

and

Empowerment India has an estimated 3.4 million drug abuse victims. It is also mentioned in the article that India highly vulnerable because it is sandwiched between two infamous drug routes and poppy growing areas namely the “Golden Crescent” on the Northwest and “Golden

Triangle” on the Northeast where the drugs are easily available. Despite of country having 3.4 million drug abuse victims the Government has only 401 rehabilitation centres functioning at present which is 8,478 victims per centre. Only 10% of the drug abuse victims out of 3.4 million known drug abusers have registered themselves in the de-addiction centres and the major victims are from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Manipur. As per records per capita drug victims is highest in North eastern States as these States are biggest home to the drug abusers. As per records from 2011-2014 around 100 million kilogram of drugs was seized across India and Punjab and North eastern States lead in drug seizures. Though in India huge amount of drug is seized from its various parts but, the seized drugs are not destroyed by the concerned authorities as a result of which they find their way again into the market. It is high time that loss relating to destruction of seized drugs and narcotics is made and implemented strongly in our country to prevent the destruction of our country and its people. A copy of the Article dated 5.11.2014 is Annexure P – 7 with this petition. 26.

That on 19.04.2015 a news article appeared in a leading newspaper on 19.04.2015 titled “Young Punjab in rehab: A story of unequal cure, unlicensed centres and a few good men.” The said article initially discusses about the

arrest of a person named Jagdish Bhola on whose arrest Rs.6000 crores synthetic drugs scam was unearthed. The said article also discusses about illegal rehabilitation centres being run in the State which are over full and are being run without the licenses. The problem of drugs has grown

beyond

control

with

very

less

very

less

rehabilitation centres and that too licensed ones. The problem of drugs is running through families where brother is introducing his sister to drugs or a son is killing his mother to procure money for drugs. In the said article the role of private clinics and hospitals in introducing patients to drugs has also been mentioned. The private hospitals and their doctors prescribe various drugs without informing their patients as a result of which the patients are becoming habitual to certain prescription drugs. This activity of Private doctors and hospitals is going unchecked and unpunished. A copy of the Article dated 19.4.2015 is Annexure P – 8 with this petition. 27.

That on 26.6.2015 a news article appeared on internet titled “India’s soaring Drug problem: 455% rise in confiscation”. In the said article it has been mentioned that India has witnessed 455% increase in drug hauls over 3 years from 2011- 2013 according to data released by the Government to the Parliament. According to the article the officials have seized 105, 173 tonnes of illegal drugs over this period. According to the article India is a prime market

for illicit opiates originating in both Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia. According to latest available data 10.7 million Indians more than the population of Sweden are drug users. Out of 10.7 million 8.7 million consume cannabis and 2 million use opiates, according to the U.N. Survey. Mizoram, Punjab and Manipur are among the States where people are more vulnerable to drug use reason being connectivity to international borders and international drug trafficking zones such as Golden Triangle (Myanmar, Thailand and Laos) and Golden Crescent (Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan). According to the article Mizoram tops the list of the States where drugs were seized: 48,209 tonnes over the past 4 years, followed by Punjab by 39,064 tonnes. Some of the drugs seized include amphetamine, cannabis plant, cocaine, ephedrine, ganja, hashish, heroin, ketamine, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), acetic anhydride, methamphetamine, methaqualone

(Mandrax),

morphine

and

opium.

According to statistics of 2014 top 5 States of drug seizures are Mizoram, Punjab, Manipur, New Delhi and Assam. As per the reports as many as 64,737 drug trafficking cases have been reported in past 4 years out of which Punjab tops the list with 21,549 cases registered over 4 years. In Manipur there are an estimated 50,000 drug addicts of whom nearly half are injecting drug users. As per a survey 67% of rural households in Punjab have

one drug or alcohol addict, 70% of the young men are addicted to drugs or alcohol according to a Government report. As per study 12% of the drug addicts are below the age of 15, 31% in the age group of 16 to 25 years and 56% in the age group of 25 – 35%. As per the Government report as many as 64,302 people including foreigners were arrested on drug trafficking charges across India over the past 4 years out of which highest foreign nationals were from Nepal, Nigeria and Burma. In terms of drugs smuggling India Bangladesh border is the most vulnerable followed by Indo-Nepal border, IndiaMyanmar border and India-Pakistan border.It is high time that the strictness at the borders of India should be increased to a whole new level and it is also a high time that death sentence should be introduced for repeated offenders of drug trafficking. In our society the people believe that there should be a capital punishment for rape cases but it is a high time that the amendments in NDPS Act are made by introducing Death penalty in drug trafficking cases in India. These drug traffickers for greed of money are destroying the future of our country as almost 55% of the drug users are from the age of 15 to 35 in our country. A copy of the Article 26.6.2015 is Annexure P – 9 with this petition. 28.

That on 26.06.2015 a news article appeared in a famous daily

newspaper

on

26.06.2015

titled

“Alcoholism,

substance abuse on rise among women”. The said article discusses that there is a steep rise in the consumption of drugs by women in State of Punjab. The use of heroin is the highest followed by liquor and opium. The said article also discuss that a number of women drug users is on steep rise in Punjab which is causing major health problems for women and also destroying the family life of such women drug users. In the said article it has been discussed that the drug de-addiction centres have registered 510% increase in the women drug addicts across the State. The major reason for rise in drug addictions is easy availability of drugs across the State especially the drugs coming across the borders from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The State government and the Border security forces have miserably failed to restrict the inflow and smuggling of drugs across the borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The efforts by State are mere eye wash as the big kingpins which are indulging into drug dealings and trafficking are roaming freely in the connivance with the

local police and political leaders

rather the officers of police force across the State of Punjab, the Political leaders and the drug traffickers are running an organised drugs syndicate without any restrictions and check as a result of which the State of Punjab is heading towards disaster and destruction and if not controlled the State will perish due to uncontrolled

drug problems. A copy of the

Article 26.6.2015 is

Annexure P – 10 with this petition. 29.

That on 30.06.2015 a news article appeared in a leading news channel titled “Indian De-addiction centres lack proper facilities”. As per the article around 70% of deaddiction centres in India do not have the standard treatment and care facilities leading to chances of relapse among the drug addicts. Most of the centres don’t follow norms and are not trained to handle a lot of medical and mental needs of the patients during the treatment process. Even the latest medications required for the deaddiction program are not available with these deaddiction centres. The matter of fact is that in India the number of de-addiction centres are negligible compared to the number of drug addicts in India. It is the duty of the Central and State Governments to increase the number of drug de-addiction centres with appropriate and qualified staff even the latest technology and equipment needs to be introduced in our country for effective and proper management of drug addicts and their problems in India. The drug de-addiction centres in India do not have any proper facilities to rehabilitate a drug addict and rehabilitation of drug addict across the country is the biggest challenge which needs to be overcome by the Government to prevent the future generations of our country from perishing to the problem of drugs. It is the

duty of the government to make specialised centres in every state and appropriate in number to fight the menace of drugs within the country. There shall be no use of the development of our country if the future generation will get wiped out to the menace and addiction of drugs. A copy of the Article dated 30.6.2015 is Annexure P – 11 with this petition. 30.

That on 06.09.2015 a news article appeared in a leading newspaper titled “Drug abuse growing among teenagers in Goa: NGO.” In the said article it is mentioned that substance abuse which is largely associated with adults, has now tricked down to teenagers with a growing number of school children getting addicted to various narcotics in Goa. The trend of teenagers consuming drugs has suddenly risen in last two and a half years in Goa and police is taking no action what so ever in controlling the menace of drugs across Goa. The problem of drug abuse is not only a cause of concern in State of Goa but the entire nation and its teenagers are falling prey to the menace of drugs and the number of teenagers becoming drug addicts is a serious cause of concern and needs to be taken care of at the earliest by the Government. The Government of India and the State Governments are not taking any steps what so ever to control the menace of drugs and it is the duty of the Government to protect the future of our country from the menace of drugs. A copy of

the Article dated 6.9.2015 is Annexure P – 12 with this petition. 31.

That on 21.11.2015 a news article appeared in a leading newspaper on 21.11.2015 titled “The youth in Punjab is addicted to this ‘Terror’ that’s threatening the State’s future.” In the said article it is stated that Punjab which is the land of Five Rivers, sanctified place which has been blessed by 10 sikh gurus, many peers, valiant warriors of the nation is crying in agony today. The State which was once known for its sheer beauty, lush green farms, gleaming water streams, stunning back drops is now popular for some spiteful reasons as well. The State of Punjab is bleeding not because of Khalistan terrorism but because of Narco terrorism. The main reason behind increase in drug addiction across the State of Punjab starts from partition, Khalistan, operation Blue Star, communal riots, black thunder, terrorism, migrations and the failure of mighty State Government to provide employment opportunities to the youth along with easy access to drugs, all this has collectively led Punjab to go to rack and ruin. In the said article it has also been mentioned that 75% of youth in Punjab is hooked to drugs like heroin, smack, cocaine and many synthetic drugs. Out of these 75% drug addicts about 30% are HIV positive. According to latest report by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Punjab alone has registered 50%

of the total drug related cases in the country but, the State Government is not at all bothered to take steps which are must in the present situation to control the menace of drugs from the State of Punjab. It is also mentioned in the said article that there is a strong nexus between police, politicians and smugglers which is the main reason for the steep rise in the drug trafficking and drug addiction problem in Punjab. Even the Central Government has become soft towards the State Government as a result of which there is no control what so ever in drug trafficking and drug addiction problem in the State of Punjab. The drugs smuggled from the borders of Punjab is not only destroying Punjab alone but is destroying the other parts of the country as well which are situated near Punjab. A copy of the Article dated 21.11.2015 is Annexure P – 13 with this petition. 32.

That on 07.01.2016 a news article appeared in a leading news magazine titled “Pathankot terror attack: Corrupt B.S.F. official- drug cartel nexus helped terror operatives”. In the said article as the statement of former D.G. B.S.F. the Pathankot attack was a result of alleged drug cartel – terrorism nexus. The corrupt B.S.F. officials are hand in gloves with the drug rackets active in Punjab and it is them who helped the Pakistani terrorists sneak into India from the border with Pakistan. There is no shortage of required necessary equipment to keep a check on borders

but somewhere there is a lack of necessary strictness and vigil as a result of which smuggling of drugs has increased in the State of Punjab and the same is the reason behind the recent terrorist attack at Pathankot Air base. A copy of the Article dated 7.1.2016 is Annexure P – 14 with this petition. 33.

That on 30.01.2016 a news article appeared in the leading newspaper titled “Hard drugs that are coming through the L.O.C. may be slipping under the radar”. As per the article there is a increase in the smuggling of narcotics drugs through the borders from the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The drug trafficking is more prevalent in Jammu region along the international borders in Kathua and Samba districts where the security along the border is less significant. Drugs are being passed through p.v.c. pipes under the fencing, there are negligible efforts by the State Government and other border protecting agencies to control the menace of drug trafficking into India across the Borders of Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir region. This is not only the problem of the State of Jammu and Kashmir or Punjab, there is a serious lack of proper check and vigil on the borders across India even in North eastern States. There is a serious urgency to control and check the borders of our country from where the drugs are sneaked into our country and then distributed throughout the country. The Government needs to take serious steps

in controlling drug smuggling into our country across the borders. A copy of the Article dated 30.01.2016 is Annexure P – 15 with this petition. 34.

That on 07.04.2016 a news article appeared in the leading newspaper titled “Udta Haryana: even 14 year olds on a high.” In the said article it was mentioned that the Government rehabs in Haryana get about 20 youths daily suffering from drug addiction problem and most of them are below 35 years of age. It was also discussed in the article that most drug addiction problem is of smack, poppy husk, psychotropic tablets and alcohol. In the said article a startling revelation was done according to which the poppy husk is supplied in villages during the time of elections. It is devastating that throughout the country the distribution of drugs at the time of elections by the prospective candidates or their people has become a common thing and the Government be it State or Central have turned blind as far as this issue of drugs is concerned.A copy of the Article dated 7.4.2016 is Annexure P – 16 with this petition.

35.

That on 10.04.2016 a news article appeared in a leading newspaper titled “Pune: 1 in 5 students doing drugs” in the said article it is mentioned that drug addictions amongst Pune students is on all time high as a result of which every 1 student out of 5 students is a drug addict in Pune. The reasons for high rise in cases of drug addiction

is the lack of police vigil in the city and easy availability of drugs on the streets of Pune as there is a strong connivance between police and drug peddlers in the city of Pune. The said article also says that the drugs are easily available right from slums t pan shops. There are places in the city of Pune like patil estate slums, shivajinagar, nal stop, ravivar peth, swargate, lulla nagar where the drugs are openly sold by the drug peddlers and now the situation is that the drug addicts students are used as drug peddlers to supply the drugs to the other students. The menace is on such a rise that even in the hostels of famous colleges the drug peddling and drug addiction has become common and the college authorities are helpless in controlling the menace of drugs from there campus. The State of Maharashtra has large number of drug addiction and drug trafficking problems. Cities like Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur and other big cities of Maharashtra are facing steep rise in the problem of drug addiction and drug peddling as the State and the concerned authorities are not taking necessary steps and actions to control the rising menace of drugs. That day is not far if the steps to control and eliminate the problem of drugs is not taken by the authorities then the State of Maharashtra will be at par to the State of Punjab as far as drug trafficking and drug addiction is concerned. It is surprising and sad that the State Governments of Punjab,

Maharashtra and other North Eastern States are in total denial of any drug problem existing in their State whereas the plague of drugs is spreading like the wild fire across the country. If this fire of drugs is not stopped by the Government, then India will lose its future and its citizens especially youth to the menace of drugs. A copy of the Article dated 10.4.2016 is Annexure P – 17 with this petition. 36.

That on 11.04.2016 a news article appeared in the leading newspaper Indian Express titled “Pune: rising cases of drug abuse among teens”, in the said article a story of a girl from an excellent student to a drug addict and a drug peddler has been mentioned and disturbing part is that it’s a true story of most of the youngsters who are indulging into not only drug addiction but also drug peddling to keep their supply of drugs for personal use constant. In the said article it has been mentioned that in the past 5 years the number of drug abuse cases in females and youngsters in the age group from 14 to 16 has increased substantially. It has been mentioned in the article that college students not only consume drugs but are also peddling drugs for easy money. In the said article it has been mentioned that out of 100 persons which are admitted at one of the Pune’s leading de-addiction centres majority of them is under the age of 21 years. In the said article it has been mentioned that the cases of substance abuse is on all-

time high in college students and the same is not restricted to boys as girls are also indulging into drugaddiction and drug peddling. It is also mentioned in the said article that there is a steep rise in the drug addiction cases among children between 14 to 18 years of age.it is also mentioned in the article as to how easy it has become to procure and consume drugs in Pune city. A copy of the Article dated 11.4.2016 is Annexure P – 18 with this petition. 37.

That on 15.06.2016 a news article appeared on internet titled “Udta Bengaluru: How south India’s drug capital is on a dangerous high.” In the said article it is mentioned that there is a steep rise in rampant drug abuse in I.T. city of Bengaluru. As per records Bengaluru with a huge floating population is infamous as the drug capital of South India. There has been a steep rise in seizures of drugs by the authorities. All kinds of drugs are sold in Bengaluru. There is a steep rise in the cases of youngsters becoming drug addicts in city of Bengaluru. A copy of the Article dated 15.6.2016 is Annexure P – 19 with this petition.

38.

That on 17.06.2016 a news article appeared in the leading newspaper titled “Udta Punjab: A riveting dose of reality.” In the article there is a discussion about a latest Hindi movie namely ‘Udta Punjab’ which was released across the world and in the movie the problem of drug abuse in

Punjab has been highlighted. In the said article it is written that due to the films depiction of reality about drug abuse in Punjab it is easy to see why influential forces wouldn’t want it to be seen by the general public in India. The said film points out the role of politicians, fake pharma companies that divert Government controlled supplies of opium to feed the State’s drug cartel. The film though a work of fiction clearly depicts the reality of helplessness of the residents of Punjab in tackling the menace of drugs as the Government and police is working hand in gloves with the drug cartels. The problem of drug trafficking, drug addiction, drug peddling across India is spreading like a wild fire and the same is engulfing the youth of our country and the Government is not taking any steps what so ever to control the menace of drugs. Protection of the lives of the citizens of this country especially youth is the prime duty of the Government of India and State Governments and safety of lives is guaranteed under Article 21 of our constitution, but the Government is in total denial in protecting the lives of its citizens from the menace of drugs. A copy of the Article dated 17.6.2016 is Annexure P – 20 with this petition. 39.

That an Article published in The Times of India on 9.7.2016 in which Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh on Friday i.e. 8.7.2016 said in a Meeting Drug abuse and trafficking pose a serious threat and generates

the resources that fuel Narco-Terrorism. The meeting is attended by representatives and envoys of countries belonging to the BRICS, an association of five major emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. A copy of the Article dated 8.7.2016 published in The Times of India newspaper is annexed as Annexure P-21. 40.

That the menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction is getting out of control day by day in our country as the implementation of existing laws regarding drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction are not at all being implemented by the government authorities throughout the country. Drug addiction and drug peddling is deadly for the health of the citizens of this country but no action what so ever to check and prevent the drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction is being initiated by the Government of India and other state governments throughout the country. The number of the drug addicts across the country is increasing at a fast pace but no steps are being taken by the Government and its authorities to overpower the menace of drug trafficking, drug

peddling

and

drug

addiction

and

even

the

perpetrators of such inhuman crime are going scot-free and unpunished due to the toothless laws relating to drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction in our country. Besides, killing the innocent people, making the

citizens of our country seriously unwell the menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction is also eating away the economy of our country and is tarnishing the image and reputation of our country beyond repair in the eyes of the whole world. It is the fundamental right of the citizens of this country to get clean, hygienic and healthy life, but the same is being battered and flouted due to the menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction which is creating havoc in the lives of the citizens of this country. The Government of India and the state governments and other responsible agencies have miserably failed to control the menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction and it is only the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India which can be the saviour of the citizens of this country from the menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction in India. 40.

That the petitioner is not a way fairer, nor and interloper, but a sensitive and sincere of the country and takes a keen interest in the safety of his fellow countrymen.

41.

That by way of the instant public interest litigation the petitioner is seeking the indulgence of this Hon’ble Court for direction to Government of India, State Governments and other appropriate authorities like Health Ministry, Ministry for Defence, Home Ministry and Ministry of Law and Justice to ensure the proper implementation of existing laws, formation of new stricter laws and formation

of Agencies and Policies to fight the rising menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction and frame new policies and guidelines to stop and restrict the rising problem of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction and in turn protect the precious lives and health of the citizens of this country and also the environment and economy of our country. 42.

That the petitioner is not a way fairer, nor an interloper but a sensitive and sincere citizen of this country and takes a keen interest in the safety and health of the people of this country and protection of the environment and economy of this country.

43.

That the public interest litigation is the only mode and proper way to get the directions to the government of India and other responsible departments to ensure the restriction and stoppage of the increasing problem and menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addictionin our country.

44.

That the present public interest litigation is brought before this Hon’ble Court not for the purpose of enforcing the right of one individual against another but it is intended to promote and vindicate public interest. It is for the protection of health and safety of the valuable lives of the numerous citizens of this country that the present public interest litigation is being filed.

45.

That in our country the drug de-addiction centres are negligible in strength seeing the rise in numbers of the people addicted to drugs across the country. There is a serious need to increase and make new drug de-addiction centres which are totally equipped with latest technology and sufficient staff to handle the cases of drug addicts which are admitted in such centres. The Health Ministry in support with various State Governments needs to urgently make and increase the number of drug de-addiction centres across the country to counter and combat the menace of drug-addiction problem in the country.

46.

That there is also an urgent need to intensify the patrolling across the borders by the armed forces deputed at various borders of our country, so that the infiltration of drugs from across the international borders can be checked and restricted efficiently.

47.

That there is an urgent need to amend the laws relating to drug smuggling and death sentence needs to be introduced in NDPS Act for repeated offenders of drug trafficking. There needs to be change in the procedure for the disposal of the drugs and psychotropic substances which are caught and seized by the concerned authorities. Besides keeping large amount of drugs in godowns as case property, small amount of sample should be kept and procedure to destroy drugs should also be introduced in our Laws. The drugs seized by the concerned

authorities is stolen and re-introduced in the market and hence, such laws relating to destruction to drugs seized needs to be urgently introduced in the present system. 48.

That the Government urgently needs to take strict action against those fake pharmaceutical companies which promote drug trafficking, drug peddling under serious laws of NDPS Act as the same is the need of present our as the country is losing its precious youth to the menace of drugs.

49.

Thus, the petitioner is filing the present writ petition in the form of Public Interest Litigation for kind consideration of this Hon’ble Court on the following: GROUNDS

a)

Because the Hon’ble Supreme Court has played an important role in espousing the cause of poor, indigent under trial prisoners, women, unorganized labour, scheduled castes and schedule tribes and also in arena of environmental pollution etc. by means of public interest litigation.

b)

Because the public interest litigation is the only way in this case to get justice and safety to the lives of the innocent masses.

c)

Because by way

of the present public interest litigation the

petitioner is trying to get vindication of the interest of the lives of the people.

d)

Because the present public interest litigation is purpose of redressing public injury, enforcing public duty and protecting the precious lives of the people.

e)

Because by way of public interest litigation the issuing of appropriate writs directions have resulted in the amelioration of the lots of the people. (Hussain ara Kahatoon Vs. State of Bihar (1980)-1 SCC 81).

f)

Because the petition filed by the journalists and social action group seeking judicial redress on behalf of pavement dwellers of Bombay facing the threat of the forcible eviction and demolition of their dwellings by the Bombay Corporation this Hon’ble Court came to the rescue of the lives of these people. (Olga Tellis Vs. Bombay Municipal Corporation

1985(3)

SCC 545) g)

Because

in

this

case

there

is

infringement

of

the

Fundamental Rights of the people under article 21 of the Constitution of India. h)

Because in public interest litigation under Article 32 of the Constitution of India. The Hon’ble Supreme Court is free to devise any procedure to provide safety to the lives of the people. M.C. Mehta Vs. Union on India. 1987 (1) SCC 395

i)

Because in this case it is the question of the precious lives of the people of the whole country is concerned. It is due to this reason the case is of paramount importance. It is therefore,

due to this reason that the respondents are the chief secretaries of all the state of the Union.

j)

Because in spite of the fact that the World Health Organization and other specialised departments has issued various warnings as well as various research studies have pointed and concluded that the drug addiction in India and its states is a serious matter of concern and the same is resulting in loss of precious lives of the citizens of this country and also the problem of rising drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addictionis destroying the economy of India but the Government of India and the State Governments are not taking steps to control the menace of rising drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addictionin every part of the country. The rising menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addictionis endangering the future of our nation and is also seriously endangering the precious lives of almost 1.5 billion citizens of this country.

k)

Because there is no other appropriate solution to ensure a check on the Government authorities about its preparation to combat the rising menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction which is practically destroying the health and lives of the citizens of this country and also majority of economy of our country on which the life of the citizens of this country is dependent.

l)

Because the innocent lives of the citizens of the country are at stake at present and the Government authorities are acting callous and negligent hereby putting the lives of Indian citizens in danger. Besides zero arrangements and action plan to control the rising menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction ,no guidelines and fresh laws have been made by the Government in tie up with the State governments to ensure proper check on the problem of rising drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction which is literally killing the citizens of this country and is also making them seriously unwell. The fundamental rights under Article 21 of the Constitution of India of the citizens of this country have been put at stake due to the inaction of the government. Hence, the fresh writ petition in the Public Interest.

m)

Because the trend in this Hon’ble Court has been that even by writing a letter by any citizen of the country addressed to any Hon’ble Judge of this Court, the letter was treated as Public Interest Litigation Hussainara Katoon

Vs. State of

Bihar reported in (1980) 1 SCC 81. n)

Because this Hon’ble Court in its judgment of Adarsha Shiksha Mahavidyala Vs. Subhash Rehang Dale has said that any writ petition which is in the interest of public at large and is for public cause shall be entertained by the Supreme Court in form of public interest litigation.

o)

Because this Hon’ble Court has also the tradition to entertain the public interest litigation even on the basis of the news

appeared in any daily of the Country. Bandua Mukti Morcha Vs. Union of India (1984) 3 SCC 161. p)

Because it is must to analyse the seriousness of the issue of rising drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addictionas if not prevented at this stage it can cause irreparable damage to the lives of the citizens of this country and even to the basic infrastructure of this country.

q)

Because it is the necessity of the hour to formulate stricter policies regarding drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction and its implementation with the help of civic agencies and agencies like police and also specialised agencies which can search, seize and ensure the stricter punishment of those people who indulge into drug trafficking and drug peddling.

r)

Because it is the need of hour to protect the health and lives of the citizens of this country with stricter laws and policies which will not spare even the big guns who are involved in the crime of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction.

s)

Because the present system and laws to tackle the menace of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction are not only inadequate but directly or indirectly they are insufficient and toothless in controlling the perpetrators of the crime of drug trafficking and drug peddling.

t)

Because the menace of drug peddling, drug addiction and drug trafficking has increased many folds in cities like Pune,

Mumbai, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Goa, Amritsar, Bangalore, Delhi and other cities of various States across the country. Pune, Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai etc being an education hub and top destination for post school studies in the country the number of students which comes in the city every year is very high compared to other cities in the country. In past few years many big cities across the country have become the biggest hub for drug trafficking as the drug peddlers target the innocent children away from their homes for sale of drugs. In these cities as reported in leading newspapers the problem of drug addiction among college students has grown out of control as one out of every five students is into drugaddiction. The problem doesn’t end to drug-addiction only but the problem has extended to these students becoming drug peddlers too. The problem of drug addiction and drug peddling has entered in schools also and the same is the most disturbing part as now the problem of drug addiction in major cities of our country is existing between the age group 14 to 35 years. u)

Because the Government and Police is bound to finish the problem of drug trafficking, drug peddling and drug addiction in big cities of India but the way the problem mentioned above has grown many folds, it can be easily pointed out that nothing is being done on this issue by the Government or Police. The drug peddling and drug trafficking is being done openly and audaciously by the criminals right under the nose

of Police and system but nothing is being done to prevent such crimes from taking place in the country. The fact can be found from the record of recovery of drugs by police or other concerned departments in past few years and as a matter of fact it seems that all these crimes are being done in hand in gloves with the Police and other concerned departments openly and without any fear. v)

Because the menace of drug peddling has also entered the campuses of prime colleges of the country and no steps what so ever are being taken by even those colleges to curtail and restrict the use of drugs on their premises, rather a blame game is being played by the colleges instead of taking any consolidated steps. The problem of drug addiction, drug peddling has also entered the schools but least is being done to restrict such illegal activities in various parts of our country.

w)

Because the Police, Defence Forces, State Government and the Central Government should take serious steps to restrict and finish off the menace of drug trafficking and drug peddling in all the States of our country be it Northern States like Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana or be it the North Eastern States such as Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam etc, as the same is the need of hour to protect the precious lives of future of our country.

x)

Because in our country the drug de-addiction centres are negligible in strength seeing the rise in numbers of the people

addicted to drugs across the country. There is a serious need to increase and make new drug de-addiction centres which are totally equipped with latest technology and sufficient staff to handle the cases of drug addicts which are admitted in such centres. The Health Ministry in support with various State Governments needs to urgently make and increase the number of drug de-addiction centres across the country to counter and combat the menace of drug-addiction problem in the country. y)

Because there is also an urgent need to intensify the patrolling across the borders by the armed forces deputed at various borders of our country, so that the infiltration of drugs from across the international borders can be checked and restricted efficiently.

z)

Because there is an urgent need to amend the laws relating to drug smuggling and death sentence needs to be introduced in NDPS Act for repeated offenders of drug trafficking. There needs to be change in the procedure for the disposal of the drugs and psychotropic substances which are caught and seized by the concerned authorities. Besides keeping large amount of drugs in godowns as case property, small amount of sample should be kept and procedure to destroy drugs should also be introduced in our Laws. The drugs seized by the concerned authorities is stolen and reintroduced in the market and hence, such laws relating to

destruction to drugs seized needs to be urgently introduced in the present system. zz)

Because the Government urgently needs to take strict action against those fake pharmaceutical companies which promote drug trafficking, drug peddling under serious laws of NDPS Act as the same is the need of present our as the country is losing its precious youth to the menace of drugs.

50.

That all the annexures annexed to the writ petition are true copies of their originals.

51.

That the Petitioner has no personal interest in the Public Interest Litigation but being citizen of India he has full faith in the Institution.

52.

That the present petition has no legal nexus with any civil, criminal or revenue litigation. The Petitioner has not filed any civil, criminal or revenue matter on his behalf which may have any nexus with the PIL.

53.

That the petitioner has not filed any similar petition before any High Court or this Hon’ble Court for the same relief except the present writ petition.

54.

That the present petition has been filed for the good cause of the

Public

which

are

resulting

into

infringement

of

Fundamental Rights under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. 55.

That there is no alternative or equally efficacious remedy left in the hands of the Petitioner under the above mentioned

compelling circumstances, but to move before this Hon'ble Court. PRAYER In the facts and circumstances of the case it is therefore most respectfully prayed that this Hon’ble Court may graciously be pleased to: -

a)

Issue an appropriate writ in nature of mandamus order or direction directing the Respondent-Union of India and other respondents to take immediate necessary steps to formulate fresh laws and guidelines to control the problem of rising drug addiction, drug trafficking and drug peddling in every part of the country.

b)

Issue an appropriate writ in nature of mandamus order or direction directing the Union of India and the State Governments to immediately take adequate steps to prevent and solve the rising problem of drug addiction, drug trafficking and drug peddling in India.

c)

Issue an appropriate writ in nature of mandamus order or direction to Union of India and all the respondents to ensure the closure of those companies which are openly involved and known for committing serious offence of drug trafficking and drug peddling.

d)

Issue an appropriate writ in nature of mandamus writ order or direction to all the respondents to maximize the spread of information regarding the steps to be taken by

the citizens of India in prevention of rising menace of drug addiction, drug trafficking and drug peddling throughout the country. e)

Issue an appropriate writ in nature of mandamus/order or direction to direct the State Governments, Central Government, Defence Ministry, Home Ministry and Police Department across the country to ensure and take necessary and strict steps to check and control the menace of drugs in the various States of the country.

f)

Issue an appropriate writ in nature of mandamus/order or direction directing the State Governments, Central Government to act as per law to ensure strict action against the educational institutions in which the cases of drug peddling and drug addiction are reported across the country.

g)

Issue an appropriate writ in nature of mandamus/order or direction directing the State Governments, Central Government and Police departments of all the States across the country to ensure strict action against those hotels, pubs, discotheques which are found to be facilitating the menace of drug trafficking and peddling.

h)

Issue an appropriate writ in nature of mandamus/order or direction directing the State Governments, Central Government, Ministry of Health to make specialised deaddiction centres across the country for helping the drug addicts in fighting the bad habit of drug addiction.

i)

Pass such other further order or orders as this Hon’ble Court may deem fit and proper in the circumstances of this case.

AND FOR THIS ACT OF KINDNESS THE PETITIONER AS IN DUTY BOUND, SHALL EVER PRAY. Drawn by: Vineet Dhanda Filed by Drawn on: 11.07.2016 Filed on:

12.07.2016

(DR. J.P. Dhanda) Advocate for the petitioner

Annexure P-4 HINDUSTAN TIMES Delhi, Mumbai top list of Indian cities in drug trafficking •

IANS, New Delhi

•

Updated: Jun 23, 2014 01:28 IST Of the over 50 Indian cities which reported the maximum cases of drug trafficking in 2012, the national capital is at the second spot behind Mumbai while Punjab leads among states followed by Uttar Pradesh, indicates data from the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB). Citing comprehensive data available for 2012, the NCRB said Mumbai registered the maximum cases of drug trafficking at 1,512 followed by Delhi with 829 cases therefore leading the group of 53 Indian cities that are highly active when it comes to drug trade. Data for 2013 is yet to be compiled. Delhi is followed by Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) with 551 cases, Amritsar with 457, and Kota (Rajasthan), with 242. Meanwhile, the lowest number of cases were registered in Vasai Virar of Maharashtra (2), followed by Aurangabad (Bihar) with three cases, Dhanbad and Ranchi (both Jharkhand) with 4 each, and Vadodara and Rajkot (Gujarat) with 5 each. A total of 29,247 cases under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, were registered in 2012 showing an increase of 13.4 percent compared to previous year's 29,048 cases.

Trend analysis showed 15.7 percent increase from 2002 and 0.7 percent marginal increase from the average of last five years (2007-2012). As per the state wise NCRB data, Punjab has emerged at the top position with 10,220 registered cases in 2012 followed by Uttar Pradesh with 6,755 cases, Maharashtra, 1,903 cases, Tamil Nadu, 1,402 cases and Rajasthan with 1,115 cases. The state of Jammu and Kashmir registered 411 cases while Gujarat, despite of sharing its border with Pakistan, which is major supplier of narcotics, registered only 68 cases. Ads by ZINC The lowest number of cases were reported from Sikkim (3) followed by Andaman and Nicobar Islands (4), Puducherry (6) and Lakshadweep (11). The data further said that a total of 13,459 people, including 216 foreigners, were arrested and 89,519 kg of drugs including opium, morphine,

heroin,

ganja,

hashish,

cocaine,

methaqualone,

ephedrine, LSD, acetic anhydride, and amphetamine were recovered. "At least 13 kinds of different drugs are being smuggled to international market at different rates starting from Rs.1.5 lakh to Rs.2.5 crore per kg," said a Crime Branch official in Delhi Police adding that the prices increased by 3-5 times when drugs reach Delhi from the bordering states and 5-10 times when it reaches Mumbai.

"After transiting through India, the drugs end up on the streets of North American and European cities. There is manifold increase, particularly in the price of heroin when the consignment reaches the international market," said Additional Commissioner of police (Crime Branch), Ashok Chand. An anti-narcotics cell official, on condition of anonymity, told IANS: "Balkan and northern routes are the main heroin trafficking corridors linking Afghanistan to the huge markets of the Russia and western Europe." "The Balkan route traverses Iran (often via Pakistan), Turkey, Greece and Bulgaria across southeast Europe to the eastern European market. The northern route runs mainly through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan (or Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan) to Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation," he said. Another Delhi Police's narcotic cell official said: "Heroin enters India through Jammu, Amritsar and Rajasthan borders, charas comes in through Manali, ganja from Odisha and Jharkhand and cocaine, which is basically produced in Colombia, comes via Africa." In India, the distribution links have been established in Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and Odisha. Police are keeping tabs on smugglers to bust the drug rackets.

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Annexure P-21 TIMES OF INDIA

Drug trafficking feeding narco-terrorism: Rajnath TNN | Jul 9, 2016, 01.23AM IST

New Delhi: Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said drug abuse and trafficking pose a serious threat and generates the resources that fuel narco-terrorism.

Speaking at the inaguration of a meeting of BRICS head of drug control agencies here, Singh said "Today, the drug business generates the highest illegal fund flows and leads to narco-terrorism, which poses a serious threat to global security and endangers peace, health and stability across the regions. We all have to come together to collectively fight against this menace and evil which is assuming threatening proportions".

The meeting is being attended by representatives and envoys of countries belonging to BRICS, an association of five major emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Singh

said

international

cooperation

was

required

to

collectively fight against "this menace and evil". He said the

problems of drug trafficking and abuse have continued to take significant toll on valuable human lives and productive years of many person around the globe. "With the growth and development of world economy, drug traffickers are also seamlessly supplying various types of drugs from one corner to the other ensuring the availability of the contrabands for vulnerable segments of the society who fall into the trap of drug peddlers," he said.

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ANNEXURE P – 1 Youth Ki Awaaz DRUG ABUSE IN INDIA Posted on April 4, 2008 in Society June 26 is celebrated as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking every year. It is an exercise undertaken by the world community to sensitize the people in general and the youth in particular, to the menace of drugs. The picture is grim if the world statistics on the drugs scenario is taken into account. With a turnover of around $500 billions, it is the third largest business in the world, next to petroleum and arms trade. About 190 million people all over the world consume one drug or the other. Drug addiction causes immense human distress and the illegal production and distribution of drugs have spawned crime and violence worldwide. Today, there is no part of the world that is free from the curse of drug trafficking and drug addiction. Millions of drug addicts, all over the world, are leading miserable lives, between life and death. India too is caught in this vicious circle of drug abuse, and the numbers of drug addicts are increasing day by day. According to a UN report, One million heroin addicts are registered in India, and unofficially there are as many as five million. What started off as casual use among a minuscule population of high-income group youth in the metro has permeated to all sections of society. Inhalation of heroin alone has given way to intravenous drug use, that too in combination with other sedatives and painkillers. This has increased the intensity of the effect, hastened the process of addiction and complicated the process of recovery. Cannabis, heroin, and Indian-produced pharmaceutical drugs are the most frequently abused drugs in India. Cannabis products, often called charas, bhang, or ganja, are abused throughout the country because it has attained some amount of religious sanctity because of its association with some Hindu deities. The International

Narcotics Control Board in its 2002 report released in Vienna pointed out that in India persons addicted to opiates are shifting their drug of choice from opium to heroin. The pharmaceutical products containing narcotic drugs are also increasingly being abused.

The

intravenous

injections

of

analgesics

like

dextropropoxpheneetc are also reported from many states, as it is easily available at 1/10th the cost of heroin. The codeine-based cough syrups continue to be diverted from the domestic market for abuse Drug abuse is a complex phenomenon, which has various social, cultural, biological, geographical, historical and economic aspects. The disintegration of the old joint family system, absence of parental love and care in modern families where both parents are working, decline of old religious and moral values etc lead to a rise in the number of drug addicts who take drugs to escape hard realities of life. Drug use, misuse or abuse is also primarily due to the nature of the drug abused, the personality of the individual and the

addict’s

immediate

environment.

The

processes

of

industrialization, urbanization and migration have led to loosening of the traditional methods of social control rendering an individual vulnerable to the stresses and strains of modern life. The fast changing social milieu, among other factors, is mainly contributing to the proliferation of drug abuse, both of traditional and of new psychoactive substances. The introduction of synthetic drugs and intravenous drug use leading to HIV/AIDS has added a new dimension to the problem, especially in the Northeast states of the country. Drug abuse has led to a detrimental impact on the society. It has led to increase in the crime rate. Addicts resort to crime to pay for their drugs. Drugs remove inhibition and impair judgment egging one on to commit offences. Incidence of eve- teasing, group clashes, assault and impulsive murders increase with drug abuse. Apart from affecting the financial stability, addiction increases conflicts and causes untold emotional pain for every member of the family. With most drug users being in the productive age group of 18-35 years, the loss in terms of human potential is incalculable.

The damage to the physical, psychological, moral and intellectual growth of the youth is very high. Adolescent drug abuse is one of the major areas of concern in adolescent and young people’s behavior. It is estimated that, in India, by the time most boys reach the ninth grade, about 50 percent of them have tried at least one of the gateway drugs. However, there is a wide regional variation across states in term of the incidence of the substance abuse. For example, a larger proportion of teens in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh use gateway drugs (about 60 percent in both the states) than Uttar Pradesh or Haryana (around 35 percent). Increase in incidences of HIV, hepatitis B and C and tuberculosis due to addiction adds the reservoir of infection in the community burdening the health care system further. Women in India face greater problems from drug abuse. The consequences include domestic violence and infection with HIV, as well as the financial burden. Eighty seven per cent of addicts being treated in a deaddiction center run by the Delhi police acknowledged being violent with family members. Most of the domestic violence is directed against women and occurs in the context of demands for money to buy drugs. At the national level, drug abuse is intrinsically linked with racketeering, conspiracy, corruption, illegal money transfers, terrorism

and

violence

threatening

the

very

stability

of

governments. India has braced itself to face the menace of drug trafficking both at the national and international levels. Several measures involving innovative changes in enforcement, legal and judicial systems have been brought into effect. The introduction of death penalty for drug-related offences has been a major deterrent. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, were enacted with stringent provisions to curb this menace. The Act envisages a minimum term of 10 years imprisonment extendable to 20 years and fine of Rs. 1 lakh extendable up to Rs. 2 lakhs for the offenders. The Act has been further amended by making provisions for the forfeiture of properties derived from illicit drugs trafficking. Comprehensive strategy involving specific programmes to bring

about an overall reduction in use of drugs has been evolved by the various

government

agencies

and

NGOs

and

is

further

supplemented by measures like education, counseling, treatment and rehabilitation programmes. India has bilateral agreements on drug trafficking with 13 countries, including Pakistan and Burma. Prior to 1999, extradition between India and the United States occurred under the auspices of a 1931 treaty signed by the United States and the United Kingdom, which was made applicable to India in 1942. However, a new extradition treaty between India and the United States entered into force in July 1999. A Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty was signed by India and the United States in October 2001. India also is signatory to the following treaties and conventions: 1961 U.N. Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1971 U.N. Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1988 U.N. Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances 2000 Transnational Crime Convention credits: Azad India Foundation The spread and entrenchment of drug abuse needs to be prevented, as the cost to the people, environment and economy will be colossal. The unseemly spectacle of unkempt drug abusers dotting lanes and by lanes, cinema halls and other public places should be enough to goad the authorities to act fast to remove the scourge of this social evil. Moreover, the spread of such reprehensible habits among the relatively young segment of society ought to be arrested at all cost. There is a need for the government enforcement

agencies,

the

non-governmental

philanthropic

agencies, and others to collaborate and supplement each other’s efforts for a solution to the problem of drug addiction through education and legal actions.

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ANNEXURE P – 2

IDSA COMMENT

Dated 19.9.2013

Need to effectively manage the India-Nepal Border The recent arrests of two high profile terrorists, Adul Karim Tunda and Mohammed Ahmed Sidibappa alias YasinBhatkal have brought the India-Nepal border into sharp focus. Differences of opinion, however, exist as to the exact location from where these two terrorists were arrested. While India maintains that Tunda was arrested at the Banbasa-Mahendernagar border point and Bhatkal in Raxual, some media reports indicate that Tunda was arrested from Kathmandu Airport and Bhatkal was picked up from a hideout in Pokhara during a joint operation with Nepalese law enforcement authorities. Whatever maybe the case, these arrests highlight the fact that terrorist and criminal groups are increasingly using Nepal as a base because the open border with India allows them to enter and exit India with ease. The seeds for an ‘open’ border between India and Nepal can be found in the Treaty of Peace and Friendship which the two countries signed in 1950. Articles VI and VII of the treaty specify that citizens of both countries have equal rights in matters of residence, acquisition of property, employment and movement in each other’s territory, thus providing for an open border between the two countries. These provisions allowed the citizens of India and Nepal to cross their shared borders without passport and visa

restrictions. In fact, the practice of keeping the borders with Nepal open was a British legacy. During the colonial times, the British required Gorkhas for the Indian army and the Nepalese market for their finished goods. These requirements necessitated unrestricted cross-border

movement

of

both goods

and people.

After

independence, India continued with the practice of an open border with Nepal. In addition, the rise of an assertive China and the absence of any physical barrier between India and Nepal compelled India to define the Himalayas lying north of Nepal as its northern barrier with China. The open border between India and Nepal not only addressed mutual security considerations but also fostered close socioeconomic relations between the two countries. The unrestricted flow of people over the years has resulted in the dissemination of ideas, culture, and settlements of people in each other’s territory thereby strengthening the bilateral social and cultural relations. The open border also has a favourable impact on two economies. Nepal is a landlocked country and its closest access to the sea is through India. As a result most of its imports pass through India. Keeping this in consideration, India has granted Nepal 15 transit and 22 trading points along the border. As for India, it is the biggest trading partner of Nepal. An open border has also allowed many Nepalese citizens to find employment in India and Indians to open business ventures in Nepal.

At the same, the open border has been misused by terrorists and criminals. During the eighties and nineties, the Sikh and Kashmiri militants used to infiltrate into India through Nepal as fences were erected along the India-Pakistan border to prevent infiltration. More recently, India has allowed former Kashmiri militants to return to Jammu and Kashmir via Nepal under the surrender and rehabilitation policy because of the difficulties involved in accessing the designated routes along the India-Pakistan border. However, apprehensions have been raised that trained militants might also slip through the border in the guise of surrendered militants. Further, suspected perpetrators of serial bomb blasts in India sneak out of the country through the open border and hide themselves in Nepal. In addition, many hard-core criminals pursued by Indian law enforcement agencies escape into Nepal through the open border, where they set up smuggling gangs and criminal syndicates to smuggle gold, drugs, fake Indian currency notes (FICN), women and children, arms, and explosives. For instance, the Indo-Nepal border has become a major conduit for smuggling FICN. In the last four years, FICN amounting to more than Rs. 8 lakhs was seized along the border. Likewise, human trafficking and smuggling of Ganja from Nepal and pharmaceutical preparations from India is also quite rampant. More recently, the Indo-Nepal border has also become a route for smuggling of gold from Tibet into India.

Numerous madrasas which have proliferated in the Terai region on both sides of the Indo-Nepal border during the past two decades has also become a source of major concern for the Indian security establishment as it is suspected that some of them might be providing shelter to fugitives and becoming a platform for recruiting cadres

for

terrorist

organisations.

The

problem

is

further

aggravated by intelligence inputs that Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) has been using Nepalese territory to carry out anti-India activities since the 1990s. Wikileaks documents have revealed that the ISI has created a number of terrorist fronts in Nepal and has also pushed in men and explosives through the border to carry out terror attacks in India. While the entire border is open for crossing into India, the busy border crossings at Raxual and Sunauli are the preferred routes for smuggling as these places are well connected with good roads. Encroachments in the noman’s land by removing or damaging border pillars have added another dimension to the problem. Security agencies believe that the buildings which have come up in the no man’s land could be used as a hideout as well as for storing arms and explosives. The extent of misuse of the open border by terrorists and criminals has led to a clamour in some quarters to rethink the rationale for keeping the border with Nepal open. While it is true that the open border has facilitated terrorist and criminal activities that are adversely impacting national security, it is equally important to recognise that an open border has also helped India and Nepal to

develop and deepen socio-cultural and economic relations. Transforming the border from an ‘open border’ to a ‘closed border’ would severely damage these ties with disastrous consequences for the citizens and economies of both countries. It would therefore be prudent to keep the border open but manage it more effectively by strengthening security through effective law enforcement, installing screening and detection devices at the check points, and enhancing intelligence networks. Policymakers in India have taken note of the deteriorating security situation along the India-Nepal border and have undertaken a number of measures in response. For instance, the presence of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) along the Indo-Nepal border has been further augmented with the construction of five additional Border Out Posts (BOPs). The SSB has been granted the powers to search, arrest and seizure under the Criminal Procedure Code as well as powers to arrest under the Passport Act. In addition, 1,377 km. of strategic roads are also being built along the border to facilitate the easy movement of the border guarding personnel. The SSB is also installing surveillance cameras along the border. For addressing the twin objectives of security and trade facilitation, two integrated check posts with state of the art detection and screening devices as well as support facilities are being constructed at Raxual and Jogbani. India has also been seeking Nepal’s cooperation in managing the border through several bilateral mechanisms. However, domestic

political turmoil, lack of political will and resource crunch have so far prevented Nepal from effectively cooperating with India. This situation, however, appears to be gradually changing now. Following the arrests of the two terrorists, the Nepalese security agencies had conducted a study and identified 18 types of crimes that are widespread along the India-Nepal border including human, arms and drugs trafficking, unauthorised trade, smuggling of counterfeit currency, kidnapping, robbery, and extortion. They have also prepared and enforced a Cross-Border Crime Control Action Plan 2013 to curb trans-border crimes. But more needs to be done. India and Nepal have to collaborate and coordinate their efforts to improve the situation along their border by setting up joint task forces to investigate cross-border crimes, sharing real time intelligence, conducting coordinated or joint patrolling, re-installing missing border pillars and repairing the damaged ones and jointly developing infrastructure along the border.

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ANNEXURE P – 3 Narco Nigerians

Date 22.11.2013

An up-and-coming Indian drug trafficker today is most likely a Nigerian-plugged into global smuggling networks that carry the white powder from South America and deliver it at the doorstep of Indian consumers half-way across the globe. On the night of October 30, five unidentified persons hacked ObadoUzomo Simeon to death. The murder of the 30-year-old Nigerian national in Parra village, just five km away from Goa's Anjuna Beach, was exceptionally brutal. It was, in true gangland style, a murder with a message. The short and thickset Simeon, who sported a French beard, bright-red Tommy Hilfiger hoodie and grey sweatpants, had arrived in India on a business visa six months ago. He was chased and hacked with sharp-edged weapons. The assailants severed his right hand and his spinal column before leaving his blood-soaked body on a road. Police say Simeon was murdered by rivals from Indian drug gangs bristling at the new group of interlopers threatening their lucrative trade: Slipping drugs into the palms of an estimated three million tourists every year who flock to the beach shacks of Calangute and the heaving, smoke-filled nightclubs on the neon-lit Baga Beach Road. The intruders are ruthless, enterprising, operate in close-knit groups and, according to a Goa police officer, not afraid to risk selling drugs to anyone with enough cash. All of them are from a

single West African nation-Nigeria. There are just 19 Nigerians on the rolls of Goa's Foreigners Registration Office but more than 200 of them live illegally or have overstayed their visa. They rent rooms in north Goa, the epicentre of the drug retail business, a bike ride away from scenic tourist beaches such as Anjuna, Baga and Calangute. "Ninety per cent of them are involved in the drug business," an Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) policeman says. Since 2010, 22 Nigerians have been arrested in Goa on charges of drug trafficking, the largest in a group of 89 foreigners arrested for such offences. A day after Simeon's death, 53 Nigerians faced off with the police, held up Goa's NH-17 by throwing the body of their murdered comrade on the road and caused a diplomatic row. A recent Headlines Today sting had one inspector confessing they were "scared" to nab Nigerians. Over the past few years, Nigerian dealers have captured a large chunk of Goa's lucrative trade in the high-value drugs-methaqualone, cocaine and heroin.The Rise of the Nigerians- An up-and-coming Indian drug trafficker today is most likely a Nigerian-plugged into global smuggling networks that carry the white powder from South America and deliver it at the doorstep of Indian consumers half-way across the globe; fluent in more than one of the three Nigerian languages-Ibo, Housa and Yoruba; and a frequent visitor to India as a student or a cloth trader, which allows him to blend into a diaspora of an estimated 50,000 Nigerians, many of whom stay legitimately as students and businessmen. Goa's cocaine coast is only one of his many haunts.

In recent months, Nigerian peddlers have hawked namak (salt, Hindi slang for cocaine) in places such as Chandigarh, another fast- cocaine consumption centre. Punjab Police busted two gangs of cocaine peddlers, one in December last year and the other in March this year, both led by Nigerians. In Mumbai, Nigerian peddlers operate from ramshackle buildings in out-of-sight suburbs such as Naigaon in Thane district, or out of seedy lodges in Dongri, downtown Mumbai. From here, they feed the city's party circuit with a

buffet

of

methamphetamine,

cocaine

and

lsd.

"Nigerians were small fry on Mumbai's streets, but in the past two years they have taken over the city's drug trade," says Dr Yusuf Merchant, who runs the Drug Abuse Information Rehabilitation and Research Centre in South Mumbai. "Over the past year, we have seen a concerted attempt by African nationals, including Nigerians, to push hard drugs such as cocaine into India," says Rajiv Mehta, director general of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the nodal agency in India's war on drugs. It says Nigerians now make up roughly a fourth of all foreigners involved in the drug trade. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) estimates that the Nigerians control 60 per cent of India's drug trade. Women, they say, are an intrinsic part of their network. Many of them marry Indian women to use bank accounts or facilitate their stay in India. Nearly half the foreign nationals-136 out of 375 people-detained in India's largest prison, Delhi's Tihar, are Nigerians. Most are in for drug-related offences. Figures of the total worth of India's narcotics

trade are hard to obtain. Last year, various Indian law enforcement agencies seized one tonne of heroin, 4.3 tonnes of ephedrine, 44 kg of cocaine and 30 kg of amphetamine. "These seizures in India are only the tip of the iceberg," says one narcotics control officer. "How big the iceberg is, we don't know."In April this year, the Delhi Police Special Cell and IB made an unusual arrest: Olatide Morrison and his wife Deborah Olatide and four other Nigerian nationals from north-western Delhi's Tilak Nagar. Olatide, 55, bald and clean shaven, was a pastor who ran a network of churches in Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana and exported garments to North America and Europe. He was assisted by his wife Deborah, 47, an impeccably dressed lady who wore her straightened hair in a stylish bob. Raids on their homes and offices discovered they were the masterminds of a drug-trafficking network. ncb officials say that Nigerians now dominate both the wholesale and retail trade in hard drugs. Police officials say Nigerians are aggressive businessmen and undeterred by arrest. The police have been unable to penetrate the Nigerian drug gangs who have links with global cartels. This is one reason why ncb frequently works with the US Drug Enforcement Agency for information on drug shipments. There are an estimated 5,000 Nigerians illegally living in India. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) deported 500 Nigerians this year, but officials say many deported Nigerians are known to have returned with new identities. The Discovery of India. The UNODC's World Drug Report of 2013 warns that the global cocaine market is expanding towards the emerging economies in Asia.

Recent arrests in India seem to be indicate this trend. On October 1, ncb officials seized 8.4 kg of cocaine worth over Rs 5 crore hidden in the false compartments of a 31-year-old 'cloth trader' Chidibere Kingsley Nwanchra. He had flown into Delhi from Mexico via Lagos and Dubai. Cocaine supply into India has increased and there has been a spike in seizures. Last year, various law-enforcement agencies seized 44 kg, up from 14 kg seized in 2011. A single seizure of 16.8 kg from three Nigerians last September was worth nearly Rs 10 crore. These seizures, however, are only a tiny fraction of the white powder that enters India. Cocaine is now within easy reach of India's affluent middle class, as easily available to a call centre executive as it is to a Bollywood star son. From Rs 7,000 a gram a decade ago, prices of cocaine have dropped to between Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per gram. "Petrol and vegetable prices have increased, the dollar has strengthened, but cocaine prices have actually dropped," laughs 'Vicky', a police informer in Mumbai. The drop in cocaine prices is a result of increased supply by the Nigerians. "Cocaine consumption has picked up in Indian metros due to availability and affordability," says Pushpita Das, a research scholar who looks at narcotics-related issues at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, Delhi.

GOA'S POLITICO-CRIMINAL NEXUS - On October 17, the Goa Assembly warily regarded a 125-page report on the police-drug mafia links. The committee, headed by Independent MLA Francisco Xavier Pacheco, which was set up by the Manohar Parrikar government to investigate allegations of a police-mafia nexus, concluded that former home minister Ravi Naik turned a blind eye to his son Roy's involvement in the drug trade. The report, yet to be accepted by the government, is a damning indictment of Goa's worst-kept secret-a police-criminal-politico nexus that allows drugs to be freely traded. A fortnight after the Nigerian national's murder, police suspended JitendraKambli, an ANC constable, for tipping off an Indian drug gang about police movements. In 2010, a senior ANC officer was imprisoned for selling 25 kg of confiscated hashish back to Israeli drug peddlers. A PROBLEM OF ENFORCEMENT - In August this year, residents of Uttam Nagar, a sleepy western Delhi suburb, were stunned by the sight of two Nigerians holding a 10-man NCB raiding party at bay. The Nigerians blocked a narrow flight of stairs and rained kicks and punches while three other gang members fled, one leapt off the three-storeyed building onto a nearby rooftop, another broke his fall by hanging off electric cables. The gang was hawking locally manufactured methamphetamine in Delhi. NCB recovered 500 grams of the substance from the third-floor flat and arrested two of the pushers. One NCB officer calls west Delhi the Capital's new

drug zone for a number of drug-related arrests made from there in recent months. Sources say the Government is aware of the Nigerian drug problem in India but careful not to upset relations between the two countries. Nigeria is India's sixth-largest oil supplier and secondlargest trading partner with annual bilateral trade turnover of over $17.3 billion. "Economic relations and criminality must be delinked," says former diplomat K.C. Singh. "The Government must act against criminals and not get blackmailed." Nigerian High Commission officials did not return India Today's calls for comment. MHA officials say Nigeria continues to remain in the Prior Reference Category countries for grant of Indian visa, just like Pakistan. The Indian High Commission in Nigeria has to refer all visa cases to IB for verification before granting any visa. Mahesh Kumar, India's former high commissioner to Lagos, says he wrote to mha to relax visa norms to facilitate business visitors. "At one point, the home ministry was considering the demand, but now, it seems unlikely it will happen," an IB official says. Undeterred by such scrutiny, the Nigerian drug gangs continue to ply their lethal trade across the country in ingenious ways.

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ANNEXURE P – 5 Dated 14.8.2014 Four out of 10 men addicted to drugs in Punjab A steady supply from across Punjab’s borders is making it next to impossible to cure the state of its deadly addiction to illicit drugs, a Narcotics Control Bureau survey of eight cities including Amritsar and Patiala has shown.But recent police seizures have pushed prices of drugs, originating in Afghanistan and routed through Pakistan, to sky-high levels and driven addicts who cannot afford their daily fix to de-addiction centers.This is the latest twist in a sorry saga that has ruined the lives of many in the prosperous state. Another central study of the Punjab drug problem shows that four out of ten men in the state are addicted and up to half this number are youth and farmers.The analysis shows that heroin is still largely a transit drug accounting for less than 7% of consumers. 15% of the addicts crave for “bhukki” (poppy husk) and 20% need other synthetic drugs, most of which come from pharmaceutical units in Himachal Pradesh, on the state’s eastern border. Anti-narcotic agencies say the primary reasons for high levels of addiction in Punjab are traditional use of opium by farmers, the rising prices of alcohol, easy availability of narcotics from Himachal and a thriving smuggler-police-politician nexus which is hampering enforcement action.

But Punjab director general of police Sumedh Saini differs from the central assessment. He told HT that since May this year, the authorities had seized 149 kilograms of heroin. To date, his men have seized 1,462 kgs of raw material for making synthetic drugs like ICE, registered 9,935 cases under NDPS Act and made 11,490 arrests. “We have smashed the cross-border drug transit lines by targeting international drug traffickers. The result is that today intoxicants are not available to the consumers, which has led to some 2,08,171 consumers being treated at the de-addiction centers up to Julyend,” he said. Heroin production in Afghanistan is expected to touch record levels of 550-600 tons, of which around 10 tons to pass through Indian cities.According to Indian estimates, pure heroin costs Rs 1-2 lakh per kg in Pakistan. The cost doubles to Rs 3 lakh a kg after it crosses the border to pay for the risks involved. From Punjab to Delhi, the cost reaches Rs 8-10 lakh a kg and further doubles to Rs 16-20 lakh a kg in Mumbai.The involvement of cross-border smugglers was evident from seizure of 27 kgs of heroin by Punjab police in the last week of June. The heroin has originated from Lahore-based smugglers identified as Kalu Chairman and Nasir, pushed into Indian territory across the Line of Control in Kashmir and was intercepted while on its way to Jaisalmer. The international cartel is also active on the synthetic drug front with key smugglers based in Chennai and agents active in Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana. Investigations have

shown the cartel procuring drugs from HP and sent to Malaysia and other countries through Chennai.According to NCB experts, a national anti- narcotic task force should be formed to tackle drugs for Punjab with a comprehensive statistical survey of addiction in the

state.

“Strong

enforcement

action

is

needed

against

pharmaceutical units in HP with reduction in liquor costs and liberalized bhang and bhukki licenses so that Punjab youth do not move

to

hard

drugs

like

heroin,

cocaine,

methamphetamine, ICE and LSD,” said a senior official.

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ephedrine,

ANNEXURE P – 6 Date 29.8.2014 Mizoram grapples with narcotic that gives a kick, addiction it can’t cure Raw material through state returns as methamphetamine from Myanmar.The best quality of methamphetamine, a highly-addictive narcotic with no known medical treatment, has been trickling into India from Myanmar and caused panic in Mizoram, where large consignments are regularly being intercepted, the latest during the weekend of 20,000 pills worth Rs 70 lakh. “We are facing an onslaught of a narcotic that is more harmful than any we have experienced so far… Methamphetamine is not to be taken lightly, and every family should prepare itself to counter it, every community-based organization should make battling it a top priority,” the state’s excise and narcotics department (END) said in a public appeal issued last month. Local newspapers frequently carry opinion articles about the narcotic while the Young Mizo Association

and

church

organizations

have

regularly

held

awareness campaigns.The narcotic is not really new to Mizoram. The first seizures were made in the first two years of the last decade, with over 1,600 pills apprehended. For the next 10 years, however, meth disappeared from law-enforcement agencies’ radar. Since 2011, Mizoram has seen huge seizures of pseudoephedrine, a legal drug prescribed for colds and allergies, but which can be

processed into methamphetamine. Close to 100 pseudoephedrine traffickers have been arrested and roughly 20 million tablets intercepted in three years by police, END officers, customs and even community-based organizations, but officials estimate just 10 to 20 per cent of all the consignments passing through Mizoram have been detected.Most of it came from pharmaceutical companies in north and west India. Taken out of their strips and transported in gunny bags and polythene bags, they were being sent to Myanmar where, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says, these

apparently

harmless

drugs

are

processed

into

methamphetamine by cartels and ethnic armies that, until a few years ago, supplied the drug to the “Golden Triangle” of Southeast Asia and used the money to buy arms.These drugs have recently begun returning west, and India’s eastern borders and Bangladesh seem the main corridor. In the last two years in Mizoram, police and END have seized more than 2.5 lakh methamphetamine tablets and arrested 20 traffickers, half of whom are Myanmar nationals, while a police inspector has been suspended and an inquiry

instituted

against

him.The

pseudoephedrine

racket,

meanwhile, has also brought in the names of a former health minister, political leaders, government officials, and some police and law enforcement officials, with consignments found in parcels sent through India Post, trucks, cars and even suitcases of students flying home from Delhi and other metros.

High and low Methamphetamine pills come in bright red, pink, green and orange coatings and are invariably stamped with the insignias of cartels in Myanmar. These include “WY” (a brand the UNODC considers the “most popular, of highest quality and the most expensive” meth pills from Myanmar), “88” and “R”.A teenage user says he has been hooked to meth for a year-and-a-half; he was introduced to it at a Valentine’s Day party. “The high… I danced the entire night, then I went to another party and danced and danced,” he said. “There was a feeling of confidence, and my sexual appetite has increased but I have also developed a dysfunction, so that does not make any sense.”He came in touch with dealers and now buys pills almost weekly. He has also tried methamphetamine “chewing gum”, tablets he inserts into the anus and a powdered form that he injects into his veins.Each pill costs him Rs 250. He admits to stealing from his father’s debit card. He used to be a good student but is now struggling to finish XII. He has trouble sleeping — “just two to four hours, if at all”— and complains of severe body pains and restlessness, conditions that have forced him to seek treatment at a daytime drug addiction cessation unit for opiate addicts.“Sometimes I keep chewing my pillow because the pain is difficult to bear,” he said. He has been prescribed a strip of 100 mg painkillers and seven sleeping tablets a day.

Treatment challenge DrLalchhanhimaRalte admits treating a methamphetamine addict is a new challenge, one he and colleagues are ill-prepared for. Synod Hospital, where he works, has been treating drug addicts for decades through a specialized division that has also caught the

attention of the UNODC, which plans to set up India’s first methamphetamine treatment center there. “There is no treatment for methamphetamine addiction. At most, we prescribe antidepressants. There is no substitute like in the case of opiates,” DrRalte admits.There is no properly compiled data to ascertain how many methamphetamine addicts live in Mizoram. “They are all definitely younger than 25. Their symptoms are all the same, but there is little we can do. The problem is that these few who have come are just those who have already tried methamphetamine long enough to want to quit it. We have no idea how many are hooked to it but have not thought about quitting,” said LalrinawmaChhakchhuak, project manager at the cessation units.Estimates put the number of opiate and pharmaceutical drug abusers in Mizoram at about 20,000 while END records show that since 1984 at least 1,240 people have died due to overdose, mostly of opiates such as heroin.“When heroin began to be detected in Mizoram in the early 1980s, everyone said it’s a western drug and for developed countries. That was proved completely wrong,” said Chhakchhuak. “The fear is that it is going to be the same story for methamphetamine.”

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ANNEXURE P – 7 Date 5.11.2014 India on a 'high' with 7 drug addiction related suicides every day Letters and pleas of the common man has made Prime Minister Narendra Modi sit up and address the rising menace of drug addiction in the country. Modi on Tuesday touched upon the issue on a radio program "Mann kiBaat" and invited views from people and NGOs on how to deal with the problem of drug abuse. Modi also mentioned on the program that many people wrote to him regarding the problem in a series of tweets on his official Twitter account. He had said youth are the asset of the country and the nation cannot afford to see them falling to drug abuse. "The issues I touch are the ones on which government comes under attack. But how long will we hide things? For good intent, the truth has to be spoken and I will keep doing it," he said. He had said the government has a responsibility to address social problems like drug addiction and it will create an environment in this

regard.

So,

how

tough

is

his

challenge?

Statistics reveal that at least 25,426 people committed suicide due to drug and addiction related problems in the last 10 years across India. This comes down to an average 2,542 suicides every year, 211 per month and 7 per day. Appalling truth is that suicides due to

drug related problems exceed dowry, poverty and money related suicides in India in most of the last 10 years. As per the graph, the number of suicides has been steadily increasing since 2004. From 2004 to 2013, we observe a jump of a whopping 149%. According to official data from the ministry of social justice and empowerment, India has an estimated 3.4 million drug abuse victims. This number excludes alcoholics, who figure at around 11 million in the country. India is highly vulnerable because it is sandwiched between two infamous drug routes and poppy growing areas, namely the ‘Golden Crescent’ on the northwest and ‘Golden Triangle’ on the northeast, where drugs are easily available. The government undertakes remedial measures like Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for Addicts (IRCA) that provides counselling, treatment and rehabilitation services to drug abuse victims. But the numbers of IRCAs are very low. Even though there are 3.4 million drug abuse victims, the government has only 401 rehabilitation centers functioning at present. That is an average of overwhelming 8,478 victims per IRCA. Out of these 3.4 million drug abuse victims, a mere 0.3 million have registered themselves in these de-addiction centers, which is just 10% of the total figure. And of the 0.3 million registered members about 0.15 million (50%) are from Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Manipur. If calculated using 'per capita drug victims' then most of the northeastern states get lined-up on the top of the table as home to drug abusers. Entry of drugs into the Indian market is another

cause of grave concern. During the last four years (2011 to 2014), around 100 million kilogram of drugs were seized across India. As we can see from the graph Punjab and the northeastern states lead the pack in drug seizures. Drug abuse among the youth in Punjab was highlighted by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the last assembly election campaign in the state. Even the information available in the public domain is old as no Indian agency has maintained drug related data effectively. PM Modi's concern and his effort to bring the discussion to the public domain is a good start because drug abuse, which primarily affects the youth, takes a toll on health, leads to suicides and can hamper India's demographic dividend if not checked soon. *The types of drugs seized includes the following: Amphetamine, Cannabis Plant, Cocaine, Ephedrine, Ganja, Hashish, Heroin, Ketamne, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), Methylenedioxy-N-Methylamphetamine(MDMA), methamphetamine, Methaqualone(Mandrax), Morphine, Opium, Opium

Poppy

Psychotropic

Plant,

Other

Substances,

Manufactured

Poppy

Husk,

Pseudoephedrine, Spasmo, Syrup, Tablets.

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Drugs, Poppy

Other Straw,

ANNEXURE P – 8 Dated 19.4.2015 Young Punjab in rehab: A story of unequal cure, unlicensed centres and a few good men Around five kilometers from the bazaars and bustle of Patiala, the road to Saifdipur gets bumpy but the scenery is still one of promise. The fields soak up the sun; water tanks and granaries appear on either side of our passing car; pigeons break flight and land on a terrace... These days, they are making fewer movies on the Punjabi NRI with his heart in the Punjabi countryside, you think, as the gate of a private drug rehabilitation centre cranks open to insistent honking. All of that was the Nineties. In Punjab, it is now the time of King-Ku.King-Ku is the post-notoriety name of former wrestler-cop and Arjuna awardee JagdishBhola. In 2014, his arrest in the Rs 6,000-crore synthetic drug scam turned the spotlight, for the first time, on a major drug kingpin. It also underlined the deep roots of the state's addiction problem that, unofficial surveys say, has the youth in its grip. Jangveer Singh, media advisor to the state's Deputy Chief Minister SukhbirBadal says that no survey has yet measured the scale of the crisis. What he does have, are numbers of "model centers (five) with 50 beds each" and "crackdown" figures. "Punjab's jails house 28,000 inmates in drugrelated cases against a capacity of 18,000," he says. Bhola is not the only king of the jungle, and drugs are not the only things being

pushed in the state. With Punjab topping the state-wise NCRB data, 2012, with 10,220 drug-related cases, a business opportunity, locals say, is being sensed with a cure-and commerce model. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act gives addicts who volunteer for treatment immunity from prosecution. So it is the fear of jail on which the rehab economy runs. The prescription in rehab centers of opioid medicines such as Buprenorphine to fight opioid (such as heroin, smack, poppy husk) dependence is another controversy that has lately hit the government's addiction-control drive. While some doctors believe these medicines are needed to control withdrawal symptoms, others feel they are being prescribed too easily. Guddu*, 22, a car rallyist and a former patient at a private clinic (He is now being treated at Rajindra Hospital, Patiala) says "private clinics are more interested in the sales of drugs. Here, doctors don't even tell me the name of my medicine in case I get hooked on it." Governmentrun de-addiction centers are, however, cash-strapped. The sewerage system at Rajindra is malfunctioning and the dormitories stink. Patients said officials have to rely on "personal contacts with local grocers" to get them an adequate supply of milk. Veteran psychiatrist PD Garg, who, by his own admission, has "turned drug specialist" over the past years because of the rise of addiction cases (50% patients in his de-addiction center at the Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar, are young heroin addicts), says he is not sure of the guidelines on who can run private rehab centers. Tarn

Taran farmer PreetBrar has been admitting addicts from his district into his de-addiction center in Amritsar. He pays Rs.50,000 a month in bribes to health department officers even though the center has a license. He doesn't mind. "A hotel wouldn't have this much occupancy. Never a lean day in this business," he says. With each private center housing around 40 patients and charging Rs. 25,000-50,000/month, the revenue per center is approximately Rs.10-20 lakh a month, a sum that could roll out new business ventures or create jobs in the rehab sector in a state where unemployment among youth is on the rise due to dwindling income from agriculture, its mainstay. The number of people getting themselves admitted is indeed rising. According to Punjabi University researcher MadhuBala's ongoing study (2009-12) on deaddiction and rehab centers in six districts of Malwa (Punjab's drug capital) in 2009, 12,994 patients were admitted in the 18 rehab centers surveyed. In 2012, the number increased to 18,770. Dr Garg makes a startling point. "The motive for rehab centers is financial. Supervised medication during detoxification with follow-up is enough. There are good rehab places, but check into a bad one and your legs are thrashed if you develop withdrawal symptoms."It is one such complaint that brings us to the door of the private clinic in Saifdipur that's owned by a former liquor businessman-turnedsocial activist. And Tarsem Kumar, 34, has the perfect pedigree to be the man in charge. A textiles salesman and former smack addict, he checked into the centre he now manages as a patient five years ago. Farmer Gurminder, 32, now a patient with a Indian

Red Cross-run de-addiction center, says he was beaten at the Saifdipur center for not doing his chores properly. "When I got admitted, they said, 'Here we treat you free', but started charging Rs 8,000 per month. I was made to cook and grow vegetables. Yes, we had medical checkups, but you'd better agree with what the doctor identified as your problem. If I did a task badly, I had to roll on the ground." Kumar says he knows nothing about this. Daljit*, 25, a former kabbadi player and heroin addict, is produced for a counter narrative. Daljit is so at home here, he pays "flying visits" to his parents. "My treatment is complete but I am staying on to improve my will power," he says. Bhupinder Singh, who has an electronics business, is another success story who doesn't intend to leave any time soon. Now a self-appointed 'driver' at the center, Singh frames his endorsement of the place in rather mysterious terms: "What I have seen or experienced here, I haven't seen in 45 years. This is my Canada," he says.State of denialMost young drug addicts who have decided to undergo the rehab drill usually have their ducks in a row. Their stories often begin with excessive neglect or attention at home, then move on to their finding a new community among friends, and end with accounts of full-blown bacchanalia. There are plenty of stories here. Twenty-year-olds reveal that they have drunk full bottles of vodka at a go and spent Rs 5,000 a day on synthetic pills. They talk of injecting themselves with heroin after believing the myth that it guarantees sexual intercourse for 30 minutes.

"Punjab has been mired in the problem of drug addiction over the past years. Both young and old have been indulging in drugs like heroine, cocaine and cheap variants like the fluid. In Punjab, the age for drug addiction is getting younger. Several de-addiction centers have been established by the government and private players in order to fight this epidemic. But there has been a worrying cause of the way these de-addiction centers deal with the problem. Eight-ten year-olds are checking into rehabilitation centers. At present, there are five model de- addiction centers with 50-bed capacity each. 21 government detoxification centers are operational at district and sub divisional level with 3.30 lakh OPD visits and 11,656 IPD visits. Patients have, however, complained of treatment and torture at private centers, many of which run without license." Brothers have introduced their sisters to the habit (and vice versa); addicts have got their partners hooked. All to feel happy and successful or to experience that sense of animation missing from their lives. But there could be a story here that no one is telling. The state's conflicted socio-political history has perhaps led to the slow unravelling of the Punjabi family and in turn, led to rampant drug addiction. The state's psychiatrists, the keepers of those secrets, think it is time to talk about all this.The first sign of this, they say, is the parents' self-sabotage through drugs and alcohol, followed by that of the next generation. This leads to a cycle of denial and blame until the more vulnerable young are eventually locked up in distant rehab centres. Parents have even employed bouncers to ensure their children leave home for rehab,

says Dr Sidhu, head of the de-addiction centre at Rajindra Hospital. Good rehab centres are now trying to keep it real while saying all this in a language that is sanitised and non-stress-inducing. "What can treatments ultimately do if society is ill and suffering?" says a doctor on condition of anonymity. "I have a patient who is the son of a drug don. How do I tell him to his face that his father is responsible? So I pretend I don't know his background. I try to teach him skills to keep him safe when he goes back into that environment." A "seething neutrality" - an attitude of 'taking it', rather than 'facing it' - which is how writer Karan Mahajan describes the Punjabis' defense mechanism in the face of crisis, may have become their bane. In his article, India's Forgotten Epic in the New Yorker on novelist Yashpal's book, 'This Is Not That Dawn' a classic of Partition literature, he says: "My grandmother, a refugee from Pakistan, would announce the deaths of relatives in a similar way: 'He had gone to the railway station. There, he was finished'… no prologue, no pity - just a statement that packed in centuries of Punjabi existentialism." Out of earshot of their patients, doctors admit that Partition, Khalistan, Operation Blue Star, riots, migration and the failure of NRI marriages along with rampant consumerism and easy access to drugs have taken a cumulative toll. Some prefer not to call traumas by their name. Dr JPS Bhatia, who runs The Hermitage, a well-regarded private de-addiction centre in Amritsar, says his method is to keep patients focused on their recovery and work therapy, and keep off excitable subjects like "religion, politics, drugs". This could perhaps be one way to make rehab work. In

group meetings, a young advocate, a cricketer who has played under-19 with ViratKohli, a DJ, a doctor who lost a patient on the operating table, and a judge who was letting his stenographer pass the verdict, all refer to their past addiction obliquely and talk of the life ahead outside the care-home. At The Hermitage, patients are called Students; at Saifdipur, patients are taught to take their titles such as Expirator (patients who oversee new patients) or Ramrod (in

charge

of

dirty

nails),

seriously.The

rehab

paradox

An unforeseen fallout of this mix of cushioning and disciplining at rehab centers - most use either one or both of these strategies - is that it has produced, in some cases, a new set of insecurities. In this new collective of former or near-cure addicts, patients often see a certain safety which they would like to make permanent. They seem to feel unsure of adjusting to a life without a guide. The rehab may have taught them skills to re-negotiate the world; but what if they fail? Vishal, an engineer, who is now The Hermitage's scientific advisor says he has not moved out of the center because he is "an example for others". He believes addiction has been a blessing for him. "I have everything here, I have a better society around me," he says. Nitin, a former patient, and his wife Namrata are family councilors at their center. Their son is being brought up by Nitin's mother. Namrata has embraced the term 'co-addict' for herself. "The germ or triggers of addiction are present in the family. So as partner, I stay involved in the program. What if there's a relapse?" she says. Punjabi families have suffered because they have lived with various issues, and denied them, she feels." Good rehabs, say former addicts, guarantee "500% chance of recovery if you make an effort".The mood in Punjab is, however, fatalistic. Professionals employed in the government's rehabilitation effort, talk, in the same breath, of the new training program, on the one hand, and the availability of drugs in jail on the other. Dr Rana Ranbir of the de-addiction center at the district hospital, Tarn Taran, (according to the National Aids Control Organization, HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs, is more than 20% in

Tarn Taran and more than 30% in Amritsar, that's three times more than the national average) says, legalized 'heroin rooms' where addicts check in to inject themselves under supervision is the way to go. "It's not treatment, it's not cure, it's harm reduction, the way Switzerland did in the 1990s." Great ideas and enterprises have come

out

of

Punjab.

But

this

might

not

be

one

of

them.Government initiativesIn 2009, the Punjab Health and Family Welfare department commissioned a study on drug abuse in the border belt of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Ferozepur. Majority of drug abusers belonged to the 16-35 age group.The crackdown on street drug peddling led to 9,305 FIRs from April-November 2013. Over 3.19 lakh injections and 3.1 crore pharmaceutical drugs (that can be misused) were recovered. Punjab's jails house 28,000 inmates in drug-related cases against a capacity of 18,000.Buprenorphine is used to treat addiction to heroin and narcotic painkillers. Since 2015, it has been made available only in government-run de-addiction centers and only for indoor patients.

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ANNEXURE P – 9 Date 26.06.2015 India’s Soaring Drug Problem: 455% Rise In Seizures India has witnessed a five-time (455%) increase in drug hauls over three years, from 2011 to 2013, according to data released by the government to Parliament.

Officials have seized 105,173 tonnes

of illegal drugs over this period, a reminder of a growing Indian problem on the international day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking, observed on June 26 by the United Nations (UN).With nearly 18% of the world’s population in the 15-64 age group, India is a prime market for illicit opiates originating in both South-East Asia and South-West Asia, according to the World Drug Report 2014.The latest available data, from 2004, estimates that 10.7 million Indians–more than the population of Sweden–are drug users: 8.7 million consume cannabis and 2 million use opiates, according to a National Survey Report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Indian Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.Mizoram, Punjab and Manipur are among the states where people are most vulnerable to drug abuse. One reason could be their proximity to porous international borders and international drug-trafficking zones, such as the “Golden Triangle” (Myanmar, Thailand and Laos) and “Golden Crescent” (Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan). Mizoram tops the list of states where drugs were seized: 48,209 tonnes over the past four years, followed by Punjab with seizures

of 39,064 tonnes.Some of the drugs seized include amphetamine, cannabis plant, cocaine, ephedrine, ganja, hashish, heroin, ketamine, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), acetic anhydride, methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine(MDMA), methamphetamine, methaqualone (mandrax), morphine and opium.As many as 64,737 drug-trafficking cases have been reported in the past four years. Punjab tops the list with 21,549 cases registered over the same period.Punjab accounted for almost half of all cases registered in India under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) in 2013 as we reported earlier: 67% of rural households in Punjab have one drug or alcohol addict, while 70% of young men are addicted to drugs or alcohol, according to a government report based on surveys.In Manipur, there are an estimated 45,00050,000 drug addicts of whom nearly half are injecting drug users.Studies have also revealed that 12% of drug addicts are below the age of 15, as are 31% in the age group of 16-25 years and 56% in the age group of 25-35 years.As many as 64,302 people, including foreigners, were arrested on drug-trafficking charges across India over the past four years.Nepalese are the most arrested foreign nationals: 266 arrests from 2011 to May 2014 followed by Nigerians (210) and Burmese (96).In terms of drug smuggling, the India-Bangladesh border is most vulnerable with 1,607 cases reported from 2011 till June 2014, followed by IndiaNepal (779), India-Myanmar (317) and India-Pakistan (120). True copy

ANNEXURE P – 10

Date 26.6.2015 Alcoholism, substance abuse on rise among women AMRITSAR: The government agencies fighting the evil of substance abuse are now facing a new challenge as an increasing number of women in Punjab are taking to drugs. In the state, use of heroin is the highest, followed by liquor and opium. Almost same is the trend among the fairer sex as well, causing not only health problems for them but also negative impact on their family life. In-charge of Swami Vivekanand Drug De-Addiction and Treatment Centre Dr P D Garg told TOI on Thursday that he had observed an increase in number of women using drugs in the last couple of years. "We have around 25-30 women drug addicts taking medication as against around 12, a few years ago," he said, adding that they discourage admitting women in the centre owing to social stigma attached to it. "Women drug addicts and their relatives don't want anyone to know that they were taking de-addiction treatment so they prefer to take medicine in the outpatient department (OPD)," he said. He said that most of the women were alcoholic, who

belonged

to

middle

and

upper

classes.

They also provide treatment to around 250 men in the age 16-40 years with more than two dozen admitted in the centre. "But I am of view that with continuous efforts there is awareness among people against drugs, though some of them still resort to substance abuse," said Dr Garg.Echoing with Dr Garg's views, psychiatrist Dr

J P S Bhatia said, "Habit of drug addiction among women is still a hidden practice. But there is definitely an increase in the number." He attributed it to easy access to internet, TV, changing social patterns and degradation of moral values in the society. Besides, he said, easy availability of alcohol and heroin was another reason. "In my drug de-addiction centre, I have registered 5-10% increase in the women drug addicts with majority of them consuming alcohol," said Dr Bhatia. He said drug addicts had even started taking heroin injections which had resulted into increase in hepatitis C, and with women consuming alcohol, there were domestic issues too. Pak main source of heroinPakistan is the major source of smuggling of Afghan-produced heroin to Punjab from where it is supplied to other parts of India. In the past, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had charged the Border Security Force (BSF) of being inefficient in checking smuggling of narcotics from across the border. However, BJP had censured such criticism of the BSF by its alliance partner SAD (Badal). The saffron party even said that the statement was an aim to divert attention from the state government's failure to check locally-produced synthetic drugs. BSF deputy inspector general Raj Singh Kataria said that it was due to enhanced vigilance they had been successful in making huge

seizures

of

heroin and

gunning

down

cross-border

smugglers. "We had recovered 361 kg heroin in 2014 from the international border. It is only due to BSF's vigil," he said, adding that during the current year, they had recovered around 138kg heroin so far. To check cross-border smuggling of narcotics, BSF

has increased deployment, equipped its troops with modern surveillance equipment and shared intelligence input with sister agencies. DIG Kataria said that BSF also regularly took up the issue of smuggling with its counterpart Pakistan Rangers and as a result the neighbouring country's border force had also started laying 'nakas' (checkpoints) to catch smugglers. Narcotics Control Bureau zonal director Kaustubh Sharma said that the meeting with their Pakistani counterparts on various issues relating to drugs smuggling used to be held earlier. He said the meeting had not taken place for the last couple of years. "The meeting was scheduled for February or March, but it wasn't finalized," he said. Sharma was of view that such meetings helped in sharing and exchange of information which helped in checking smuggling of drugs and nabbing of international drug peddlers. The "International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking" is a United Nations initiative to raise awareness about the issue. It has been held annually since 1988 on June 26, a date chosen to commemorate Lin Zexu's dismantling of the opium trade in Human, Guangdong, just before the First Opium War in China. The observance was instituted by the UN General Assembly as an expression

of

its

determination

to

strengthen

action

and

cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse. 'Efforts just an eyewash'

BJP's firebrand leader and the party's former vice-president Luxmi Kanata Chawla is of the view that despite the claim of the Punjab government of taking 'adequate' measures to check drug abuse, the habit is catching more and more people. Especially consumption of liquor is on the rise with more and more women becoming alcoholic each year. "Sale of liquor and its consumption by women in Punjab is on the rise as compared to previous years," said Chawla, adding that even the use of 'white substance' had increased. "In the name of drug peddlers, the government is putting drug addicts behind bars," she said. "The best way to observe the day would be to put behind the influential drug dealers behind bars and to control the sale of liquor," Chawla said. Mere photo sessions and formalities of organizing functions wouldn't help control the demon of drug abuse in Punjab, she added.

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ANNEXURE P – 11 Date 30.6.2015 'Indian De-Addiction Centres Lack Proper Facilities' NEW DELHI: Around 70 percent of de-addiction centers in India do not have the standard treatment and care facilities leading to chances of relapse among the drug addicts, health experts said on Tuesday. They said that most of the centers don't follow norms and are not trained to handle a lot of medical and mental needs of the patients during the treatment process."It is difficult to cure patients without meeting certain criteria which are set by the authorities. Often patients are admitted to de-addiction centers for treatment but find no proper cure and rather relapse and their condition deteriorates. So it is essential to check whether the center meets all the criteria," said Gorav Gupta, a psychiatrist and currently director of Tulasi Health Care at Mehrauli in Delhi.Noting that most of the better centers use a combination of several medical and therapeutic processes, he said that many centers in India are not even able to avail the latest medicines meant for speeding up the treatment process."The medical science is evolving and new techniques like ultra-rapid detox, where the patient is detoxed in 48 to 72 hours are being used. Many new medicines for craving and withdrawal are being used such as naltrexone, topimerate and acamprol. However at least 50 percent of the centers are hardly able to avail the drugs due to lack of resources," he told IANS.

BehramPardiwala, consultant of Internal Medicine at Mumbai's Wockhardt Hospital, said that in the last four to five years there has been a significant increase in the number of people addicted to various substances due to their easy availability and social acceptance.He also said that the other reason why Indian deaddiction centers were far behind those of western nations was that the focus was more on medicines rather than psychological treatment, which is considered to be more effective."Also the lack of proper infrastructure with lack of trained volunteers is hindering the proper treatment of drug addicts," he said adding that usually Indian de-addiction centers do not even follow basic procedures like

counselling,

mental

exercises

and

psycho

therapeutic

treatment.Mohan Surjewala, senior psychiatric consultant at Kolkata-based Down Town hospital, said that only 25 percent of the addicts admitted to the de-addiction centers in India are successfully treated. In most other cases the patients mostly remain in the same condition or even deteriorate."More and more people see it now as a disease not as a moral failing. It affects the brain adversely and can also result in precipitation of various mental diseases like anxiety, depression, mood swings etc," he said.

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ANNEXURE P – 12 Date 6.9.2015 Drug abuse growing among teenagers in Goa: NGO PANAJI: Substance abuse, which is largely associated with adults, has now trickled down to teenagers with a growing number of school children getting addicted to various narcotics in Goa, according to an NGO working in the field of drug de-addiction."The trend of teenagers consuming drugs has suddenly risen in last twoand-half years. Today, the average age of a drug consumer has dropped to even teenagers," said Fr Joseph Pereira, founder of NGO Kripa Foundation, which works on de-addiction panIndia.Earlier, the college-goers or drop outs were commonly found to be consuming drugs, but today the menace has sneaked in even into schools, he said.Fr Pereira, who runs a rehab center in Anjuna, a village known for its all night rave parties, claimed that teenagers doing drugs has attained an alarming proportion."It is getting progressively worst in Goa. As it happened in the case of alcohol abuse, Goa has also suffered from denial syndrome when it comes to drugs," he said.Pereira linked the growing trend of school children attracted towards substance abuse to 'social status' as they see it as an "in-thing" to do. The entry level drug consumers are doing 'weed'.

"This is satanic... by saying satanic I mean this is evil. And this evil is so subtle that by the time you know about it entire society is destroyed. Parents wake up late," he said. Instances of drug being done by teenagers who come from educated families have been noticed in the recent past, and in few cases, children are being treated at state-run Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behavior (IPHB).The incident of two youths dying of drug overdose in Curtorim village (South Goa) during a birthday party in April this year had shocked entire Goa.Curtorim MLA AleixoReginaldo Lourenco on the incident said police's response towards drug menace has been "lethargic"."Police is totally lethargic towards the menace. After the incident (at Curtorim), the main operator is still absconding. We have been telling the department (police) that narcotics have reached our door steps in the villages," Lourenco, who had raised the issue during the recently held State Legislative Assembly session, said. "It looks like police are totally involved in allowing the drugs to flow smooth. Drug is still happening in village, though I have no proof to substantiate it," he alleged.Police, however, said they have been raiding places whenever the information is provided."As far as drugs in schools are concerned, we have not received any specific complaint,"

Superintendent

of

Police

(Anti

Narcotic

Cell),

KartikKashyap said.He said ANC along with Food and Drugs Administration, Narcotics Control Bureau and other agencies periodically checks outlets near schools."We have also began

awareness campaign where more than 1,000 students are educated about ill-effects of drugs and also publicity material is circulated to them," he added.

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ANNEXURE P – 13 21.11.2015 The Youth In Punjab Is Addicted To This ‘Terror’ That’s Threatening The State’s Future Punjab, the land of five rivers, the sanctified place which has been blessed by ten Sikh Gurus, and many Pirs and the valiant warriors of the nation, is crying in agony today. The state which was once known for its sheer beauty, lush green farms, gleaming water streams, and stunning backdrops, is now popular for some spiteful reasons as well. Being home to beautiful cities that are dotted with resplendent shrines, Gurudwaras, temples, ashrams, and cultural monuments, Punjab has now fallen in a trap of a menace.Even with a disguise that does not reveal the true picture of what’s happening inside the soul of Punjab, the state fails to stop the bleeding deep within. To be honest, my heart bleeds when I witness my Punjab bleeding, and this time it is not because of the Khalistan Terrorism, but ‘Narcoterrorism’.Partition, Khalistan, Operation Blue Star, communal riots, Black Thunder, terrorism, migrations and the failure of the mighty state Government to provide employment opportunities to the youth, along with the easy access to drugs, all this has collectively led Punjab to go to rack and ruin.The bloody inheritance of India’s partition hit the skids, and Punjab was the state which suffered the most during the ‘Unforgettable Divide’ and

continues to do so, as a result of the seeds of vulnerability and vengeance that were sown almost 68 years back in time. The partition of the nation that took place in August 1947, was more of a partition of Punjab then the entire nation. It was a brutal dissection of Punjab, and time after time, the place has seen poignant situations that sink the hearts of those who genuinely care for the state.With the pain of being politically divided twice in less than half a century, Punjab has certainly descended into chaos. It was first divided during the partitioning of the Indian Empire along religious lines in 1947, and yet again in 1966 on linguistic basis, when Punjab, Himachal and Haryana were formed out of the erstwhile Punjab state.And then, came the era of Green revolution in the 1970s – taking the people of Punjab away from the seamy side of life. It was the time when India’s first agricultural revolution completely reformed the traditional farming system, and with it Punjab acquired the valuable status of being the “food basket” of India.While the nation enjoyed the tremendous growth in agricultural production and the much-needed food security, Punjab celebrated its affluence and the accreditation of being ‘the most prosperous state of India’. With boundless prosperity, vibrancy, increased per capita income, better standards of living and larger than life image, the people of Punjab were reveling in the thrill of good times.However, the other side of the picture was not apparent to many. When the Green revolution flourished in Punjab, many of its fundamentalist leaders, who were living high off the hog,

assumed that the state has enough money and power to become a separate entity. This boded disaster and regional disparities, communal riots along with the rise of Sikh fundamentalism turned up in the state.A terrifying situation arose when a Sikh fundamentalist leader, SantJarnail Singh Bhindranwale, began killing Hindus in large numbers in an attempt to create a Sikh state to be named as called ‘Khalistan’, and slayed several innocent lives.Although the initiator of terrorism was SantBhindranwale, but there were several other factors including communal politics played by the Akali’s policy of appeasement and communalism, followed by the Congress. The rise of terrorism in Punjab I believe, was largely fueled by the Akali leaders and they backed it fully till the end. With this, Punjab’s tryst with decade-long terrorism began until SardarKanwar Pal Singh Gill (KPS Gill), the then Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, crushed it. KPS Gill not only restored the peace in the state, but also helped India in retaining its unity and integrity.

I

believe

that

India

in general

and

Punjab

in

particular, owes a lot to this legend for his contribution in thrashing terrorism in the state. Never in his dreams would KPS Gill have imagined that the peaceful state which he left in 1995 will once again hit by terrorism – and this time it will bleed the tears of being in the clutches of drugs. Over the past decade, Punjab has experienced deceleration of its economy, and has been seeing dwindling positions in the list of prosperous states of the country. Punjab, as of today, lags behind its counterparts, not only in terms of industrial growth but also in the agricultural sector, due to

stagnancy. There are no jobs, no future in farming, industry has literally moved out of the state, and deep-rooted corruption has left the state in dismay. Punjabis who are famous for their courage, hard work, honesty, compassion and enterprising approach towards life, are now losing these attributes to the evil drugs. Trans-border terrorism and the Khalistan movement which divided Hindus and Sikhs had been the prime cause for which we heard so many families crying every day in the past. And, today, once again Punjab is crying, due to the insidious demon of narcotics sharpening its claws in the entire realm. It would not be immature to say that this is nothing but a dangerous trap into which the spirited Punjabi youth are being led, on whom the future of the nation depends. At present, more than 75% youth in Punjab is hooked to dangerous drugs like heroin, smack, cocaine and many synthetic drugs. Out of these 75% addicts, about 30% are HIVpositive people. According to the latest report by the Narcotics Control Bureau, Punjab alone has registered 50 percent of the total drug-related cases in the country. But, as pitiful as it may seem, the Akali Dal Government which is led by the Badal family continues to live in a state of denial, even when the names of many of their top leaders have appeared for running the drug nexus. One of these big shots that is involved in the Narcoterrorism that has clasped Punjab in its grip is said to be a close relative of the Badal family. No wonder the Badal family is refusing point blank to be involved in the matter!

After hearing and reading numerous articles and stories on the drug abuse that is ruining my homeland, I decided to get firsthand information on what exactly is happening there. My recent visit to Amritsar left me in tears, shock, disbelief and distress after having witnessed the entire situation with my eyes. I came across a sight which I will never forget in my life – the agony and pain of all those mothers who had lost, or who are going to lose their children because of drugs, wrenched my heart. Being a mother myself, I could imagine the pain of a mother, who raised her son with lots of efforts, hopes and desires, and then loses him to appalling drugs. For me, there is no bigger pain in the world than what these mothers have to bear when they see their children dying a slow death every single day. The village, Jagdev Kalan, near Amritsar carries a painful history. The place which encountered the worst slayings of Hindus by Sikh terrorists, and lost more than 30 people in terrorism in 1987, has today become a cremation ground for its residents who are gradually jumping into the fire that was set alight by drugs. In the past two years, this village has lost around 30 people because of drugs. I heard several painful tales of this deserted village wherein each house has been mourning after losing a loved one, either due to terrorism or due to drugs. My visit to Swami Vivekananda Drug De-Addiction Center in Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar and OTS center located inside the Civil Hospital of Tarn Taran revealed the scale of the problem. Impossible to quantify precisely, the situation is undeniably immense and worrisome for the entire country. An overwhelming

majority of addicts in these centers belong to the age group of 15 and 35, which is a harsh reminder about the risk of losing the entire generation to drugs. I was shocked to see the drug epidemic and the mounting pressure on the health infrastructure which the state offers. I interacted with some of the drug addicts, who to my surprise were regretful, as well as, sad to see themselves in that vulnerable state. In fact, some of them were scared of the fact that they may not live long and were dejected of being unable to get out of this nexus, even when they are willing to do so. Many of these addicts are incapable of affording the de-addiction treatments and, hence, they continue to consume drugs, because that at least gives them an opportunity to earn money by becoming a peddler. So, it would not be wrong to state that it is a vicious cycle, and those who are trapped inside it, don’t see any ray of hope. I can clearly recall that one drug addict met me, and he was carrying his daily dosage of heroin (smack) in his pocket. He requested for rehabilitation assistance, which he was not receiving in spite of his will to get rid of the menace. In reality, Punjab’s de-addiction centers are facing a shortage of staff, including counselors and psychiatrists. After seeing the unfortunate ordeal prevailing in Punjab, I am unable to understand why the State Government has still not formed strict drug policy reforms, even when the whole state has reached such a severe level of substance abuse? Why there are no adequate facilities available for the addicts? Why are the rehabilitation centers not accessible free of cost? The Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal still refuses to acknowledge the fact

that Punjab has the highest number of drug addicts in the country. I want to tell him that I saw drugs being sold openly outside the Civil Hospitals in Amritsar and Tarn Taran, two majorly affected districts of his state. Drugs are easily available in all the medical stores near various schools and colleges in the state. As a matter of fact, people there made a mockery of the situation by asserting that – “In Punjab, it’s easier to fetch drugs than water.”You might be surprised to note that more than 70% of the jail inmates across the state are drug addicts.During my stay in Punjab, every single person or an addict that I met with raised their voice against the Akalis, and the Badal family in particular, for the rise of drug addiction in the state, over the past decade.It might be beyond belief for many of us, but several big names, mainly of the representatives of renowned political parties, largely from the Akalis and some from BJP have come into light which are said to be involved in this drug mafia. In actual fact, on a number of occasions, some of these delegates have been caught red-handed as well while smuggling drugs, but to no avail!What Punjab needs right now is a strong political and social will to fight this war against drug terrorism. There’s a huge nexus and in order to make Punjab drug free, the triangle of Politicians/Police/Smugglers that are involved in the drug menace needs to be broken. This war against drugs is a far bigger challenge, than what the war against fundamentalist terrorists was. We are in need of a strong iron hand, in the form of another KPS Gill to save the state once

again. Only someone like him with similar courage and tactical sharpness, can stand like a rock against all the odds in the state, and crush the menace and regain its glory.The BJP Government at the center, including PM Modi, has closed its eyes when it comes to the outrageous state of affairs in Punjab. Their softer approach towards Akali Dal and the Badal family has led to misgovernance and AkaliGoondaraj in the state.Mr. Modi had promised that if the BJP-led NDA will come into power, it will put an end to the act of pushing drugs into the Indian Territory from across the border. But, unfortunately, these words were nothing else than exaggerated rhetoric. Looking at the current scenario, it is quite difficult to find the one who can save Punjab. Everybody knows everything but nobody has the courage to raise voice against this peril, which is poisoning the state with time. Haunted by the fear of losing their children to drugs, most of the families in Punjab are either migrating out of the state or sending their children abroad. The land of Guru Nanak and Bhagat Singh once again needs a ‘Messiah’. The state which had outperformed rest of the India, in terms of growth & prosperity in the past, must be saved, and I hope that it happens before the wheels fall off.

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ANNEXURE P – 14 Dated 7.1.2016 Pathankot Terror Attack: Corrupt BSF official-drug cartel nexus helped terror operatives Former BSF DG and security adviser EN Rammohan on Thursday said heroin smugglers from Pakistan bribe BSF and the recent terror attack on our air base is the result of the alleged drug cartel-terrorism nexus.The recent terror attack on the IAF's Pathankot base has exposed chinks in the country's security armour. Former Border Security Force (BSF) DG and security adviser EN Rammohan on Thursday told India Today Television that corrupt BSF officials are hand-in-glove with drug rackets active in Punjab and they helped the Pakistani terrorists sneak into India from the border with Pakistan.Rammohan on Thursday made damning charges on the alleged mishandling of intelligence reports and lapses on part of the BSF while the paramilitary force zeroes in on two intrusion theories - a tunnel on the Punjab border and Kashmir route.Rammohan said heroin smugglers from Pakistan bribe BSF and the recent terror attack on our air base is the result of the alleged drug cartel-terrorism nexus."There is money in this. And, a small percentage of BSF officials are involved in this," Rammohan told India Today Television. "Money can buy the personnel of BSF on the ground. There are cases where officers have succumbed to temptation of money. It is

not only that the politicians are corrupt... There is no shortage of equipment, no shortage of thermal imagers, no shortage of personnel, nothing," Rammohan added.However, the BSF rejected Rammohan's smuggling theory and made it clear that it did not find any breach anywhere in the fence in 20-km stretch of border. The paramilitary force, which will submit the internal probe report on Pathankot terror attack within a fortnight, also rejected that some corrupt officials inside the security force helped the terrorists to sneak into Indian territory.BSF speculates, the terrorists might have used a tunnel on the Punjab border to sneak into India or have come all the way from Jammu and Kashmir to launch a Fidayeen attack on the IAF base in Pathankot, Punjab.

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ANNEXURE P – 15

30.01.2016 Hard drugs that are coming in through the LoC may be slipping under the radar Every morning, around 20 brightly coloured, hand hand-painted painted trucks from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan start crossing Kaman AmanSetu — a bridge over Jhelum River in Uri in North Kashmir's Baramulla district that connects the two sides of the divided region. In the afternoon, a similar procession of trucks from the India side of the Line of Control (LoC) crosses the bridge towards the Chakoti Trade Facilitation Centre (CTFC) in Muzaffarabad. As the trucks make their way into Indian territory, they are stopped at the Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre (STFC) in Uri and inspected one by one by Jammu & Kashmir ( J&K) police and custom officials. Around a dozen policemen check the truck's chassis. A few others jump in the back to examine the sealed cargo with metal detec detectors tors before being allowed to unload. From here, the cargo is loaded onto local trucks, which then head towards Baramulla and Srinagar. Part of the barter trade system initiated between India and Pakistan in 2008 as a confidence building measure, the truck trucks s can carry 21 items such as fruits, spices and garments approved on the import and export list under the standard trade procedure agreed between the two countries. But sometimes the trucks coming in from across

the border also try to sneak in goods that are not allowed. On February 7, last year, police and custom officials recovered 12 kg of heroin from one of the trucks at the STFC. "We found the narcotics carefully concealed in boxes of oranges," say Sandeep Bhat, sub-divisional police officer, Uri. After the bust, police detained all 22 truckers who had come from Muzaffarabad that day. In retaliation, Pakistan officials detained 50 Kashmir trucks that had crossed over to deliver goods at the CTFC. Subsequently, trade was halted. But after high-level talks between the two countries, trade was resumed after a few days and drivers from both sides were allowed to return, except for the trucker carrying the

contraband.

He

is

still

being

held

in

custody.

How Safe is My Valley Such a standoff wasn't for the first time. In January 2014, in what was to be the biggest drug bust in the history of the valley, police seized 114 packets of uncut Afghan heroin each weighing 1 kg and worth over `100 crore, from a truck coming from Muzaffarabad. A similar halt in trade ensued but it was resolved just as quickly. In both cases, police arrested the drivers and the consignees and booked them under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. But they were just the pawns in the game, meant to mule the drugs into the state and then take them to a designated place. A further police investigation in the case revealed both the consignments were meant for Happy Singh alias Harjinder Singh, an international drug baron from Punjab wanted by police for many years now for a number of drug trafficking cases in India. In 2014, a police party from J&K raided

his house in Amritsar but he wasn't to be found there. According to a senior police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the 114-kg consignment of drugs seized was loaded at the CTFC in the name of Masroor Mir, a former resident of Kashmir, who had crossed the LoC into Pakistan to receive arms training in the '90s and continues to live there. The police official also revealed that some of the drugs were meant to be distributed in India while a sizeable portion was to be taken through sea routes to more lucrative markets in the Middle East, where police believe Happy Singh is currently operating his drug syndicate from. The drug trafficking is even more prevalent in Jammu region along the international border in Kathua and Samba districts where the security along the border is less significant. "Drugs are being passed through PVC pipes under the fencing," the official said. While the involvement of an ex-militant and an international drug baron raises a lot of red flags, no formal investigation has been launched into bringing down the syndicate that is facilitating the cross-border drug trade that has been going on in Kashmir for some years. The reason? "The focus is on clamping down on guns and in doing that, the drug problem has mostly slipped under the radar," explains the officer. "We have been noticing a new trend in drug-trafficking routes for a few years. While traditionally most of the drugs enter the country through Punjab, we are now seeing a rise in drug trafficking in the Himalayan belt," says Praveen Kumar, assistant director operations, Narcotics Control Bureau. "However, the state police hasn't approached us on the case and we not

investigating the matter." Back at the STFC, Bhat is proud of the work he and his team have done in stopping the drugs from getting into the country. "In 2014, we seized 3 kg of heroin from a local truck heading towards Srinagar. A Pakistani trucker had somehow managed to pass it on to him. He had hidden it near the engine of the truck. But we apprehended him before he could leave the trade centre." According to Bhat, it's not just trucks that they have to keep a watch out for. The border here is porous and it is quite possible drugs are coming in untraced. "Some of the villages are a stone's throw away from the LoC," he says. Cross-border Links in March last year, police arrested two smugglers with 2 kg of heroin near a footbridge at Lal Chowk in the heart of Srinagar. Both men belonged to Jabra, a village in Uri. Further police investigation in the case revealed links to traffickers from across the border. "We learned that the narcotics had been smuggled in from the other side of LoC," says Kuldeep Singh, station house officer at Rajbagh police station, Srinagar. "We have filed a charge sheet against both of them and they are in custody." The government is also aware of the issue. In March last year, the late chief minister of the state, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, reportedly said in the upper house of the legislature, "They (traffickers) throw the packets from one side to the other. This is not an ordinary issue and it should not be discussed in the House only for the sake of discussion. All of us need to contribute to end this epidemic. The rehabilitation of addicts is a long process and one should have patience while working on these sensitive issues." Since then, Sayeed had been

continuously advocating tough measures to tackle the problem. He also directed the health department to formulate a comprehensive policy to effectively deal with the challenge and set up drug deaddiction centres in all districts. While most of the drugs are meant to be supplied outside of the state, the effects of a booming drug trade are inevitably becoming visible in Kashmir. At the only drug deaddiction centre in Srinagar, Dr Mohammad Muzzafar Khan, who has overseen the centre since its inception in 2008, has seen a sudden surge in drug abuse cases in Kashmir. In 2015 alone, 1,350 patients sought help at the centre. There are only 10 beds at the centre and a waiting list of 65. Most of the cases he would get were of youngsters abusing opium-based painkillers SpasmoProxyvon and Codeine Phosphate. But now he is witnessing a steady rise in patients who have been using brown sugar, a low quality heroin. "There is an alarming increase in drug abusers in the Valley. Most addicts are aged between 16 and 30. It is an epidemic no one is paying attention to," says Dr Khan. According to a United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) sponsored survey, there are 70,000 drug addicts in the valley. 23-year-old Irshad from Khonmoh area in district Pulwama in South Kashmir has been in the centre for 10 days. Irshad drives a truck to support his family. His father had died when he was 18. Irshad had been smoking cannabis for years now. He says it keeps him alert at the wheel. Three months ago, he started using brown sugar. He was taking two hits a day. Irshad's addiction soon spiraled out of control. And at Rs 700 a gram, it

wasn't coming cheap. He sold his truck to keep up with his addiction. In the next two months, he spent half the money on buying the drugs. But after his mother found out about his addiction, he agreed to come to the deaddiction facility for help. Meanwhile, Across the Border "Every day, I used to leave home for work. But instead I spent the day in the truck using brown sugar with other users," says Irshad. He and other users used to purchase drugs from Sangam, Bijbehara in South Kashmir's Anantnag district, which according to Irshad is a hotspot for drug peddlers in Kashmir. "If you go there, ask anyone what you need and they will take you to the right person. There are a number of people selling it there," he adds. Shahid, 27, from a well to do family, is a patient at the centre who had been using brown sugar for years. He lives in downtown Srinagar and runs a travel agency. He has almost completed his 40-days deaddiction programme and is set to return home and start a fresh. But Dr Khan has his doubts. Shahid has been in the deaddiction centre before. Two years ago, his family had convinced him to enter the programme after his drug problem had led to serious health issues. He successfully managed to get through but relapsed after staying clean for over a year. "I first started three years ago. A friend of mine who was studying in London asked me if I want to try something special. I had had a bad break-up and I wanted something to take my mind off it. I couldn't say no. He took out a foil paper and a small packet of white powder from his pocket. He heated it up and asked me to inhale the vapour through a plastic straw," says Shahid. Shahid

has decided after he leaves the centre, he'll never do drugs again. He now wants to reestablish his business and get married. He says it has ruined * "the best years of his life". Meanwhile, across the LOC, another consignment of Afghan heroin is being readied for another sortie.

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ANNEXURE P – 17 Date: 10.4.2016 Pune: ‘One in five students doing drugs’ Drug addiction amongst city students is on an all-time high. Newsline attempts to examine the alarming scene. Vyasanmukt Bharat. That’s the catch line which VidyaYeravdekar, principal director of the Symbiosis Society had suggested as the next campaign for Prime Minister Narendra Modi when she wrote to him last year. A letter whose reply she awaits eagerly. “I think it’s time we sat up and took notice of the drugs problem in youngsters. It’s not something we can sweep under the carpet.Youngsters from across colleges are on drugs and even if they are not doing this within the campus, as academicians we have to help stop it,” she says.Be it narcotics department, police, drug rehabilitation centers and students themselves, there are few voices that do not acknowledge the problem and the urgent need to address the problem.‘It’s a different high altogether and I got hooked’Divyesh Sane, student of a very reputed college, was into drug abuse for almost four years before he quit a month ago. “In Class 12, I smoked cigarettes and later tried marijuana just for fun. During the first year of graduation, I smoked up once in two months. By the third year, I was taking it daily. I would pay the dealer anything from Rs.150 to Rs.1,000, depending upon the quality of drugs.Getting caught by the police in every few days and bribing them with

Rs.100-Rs 200 was a normal thing for me,” he says. However, more than a month ago, he was standing at a bus stand after buying drugs when two sleuths from the anti-narcotic cell caught him. “It struck me that I had got myself into a big mess. I called my parents. Since they stay in Mumbai itself, they came to bail me out. I informed them about what I had been up to, accepted my mistake and promised I won’t let them down again. Now, I don’t even smoke, leave aside drugs,” says Sane.According to him, while one in five students at college do drugs, most do not do it on campus. Most students say they took the first drag on a friend’s insistence. “I started doing it because of curiosity. My roommate would do it every weekend. One day, when he was rolling, he offered me and I thought I would try it. It’s a different high altogether and I got hooked,” says a student who hails from Kolhapur and is studying law.As per a student of a Shivajinagar-based national institute, reputed for political and economics faculty, use of drugs has become a culture at the hostel and is considered “cool”. “There’s no stigma attached to smoking weed. There’s also a common belief among students that weed makes them creative. It helps them to think abstractly or helps them to understand abstract arguments and theories. Many of my friends even have a philosophical and spiritual approach towards weed,” said this 23-year-old student.For many students, weed and hash have become substitutes for alcohol. Some say an advantage that “weed” has is that it’s difficult to detect. “Say you have smoked a joint or two and are driving. No policeman will be able to charge you even if you are high and he

pulls you aside,” said a girl who studies in a reputed college in Deccan area. A Mumbai student who studies in an Akurdi-based college explains the economics. “Doing weed (marijuana) is cheaper than even alcohol. For Rs 100, one can get a packet which can roll at least 78 joints which is enough for two people. If we want a similar high with alcohol, we would have to spend five times the amount,” says the Akurdi resident. Easy availability in city: from slums to paan shops It’s not difficult at all to “score”, the slang used to mean to procure drugs. Students say that getting stuff like weed and hash is not difficult as it is freely available. One needs “contacts” for crystals like cocaine, heroin or high-end stuff like Meow Meow, LSD and so on. “Weed is mostly sold through paan shops and old women who sell it in huts and sometimes hidden in garbage containers. Some spots are famous and known to all, including the police. Once I bought weed from a woman who was standing next to a police car in Shivaji Nagar slums,” says a student from a reputed national engineering college.Among those popular and most frequented points are Patil Estate slums in Shivajinagar, Nal Stop, RavivarPeth, Swargate and Lullanagar Chowk. “Peddlers are seated in the lane with packets in their pockets or bags or a bucket. Ganja is packed in Rs 50, Rs 100 pouches,” says a student, who hails from Baramati, and studies commerce at a well-known college

in Pune Camp.From paan shops near Mhatre bridge to a eunuch’s hut near Hinjewadi, slum area near Fakhri Hills in Kondhwa to slums near Kharadi’s IT hub, a 21-year-old student of a Bund Garden college rattles off at least 20 spots that he has visited to “score” in the past. But how does one approach a drug dealer? “Confidently. If you say 100 kachahiye, they will hand you over. If you want the higher stuff, ask 1,000 kahaikya?” says a 20-year-old media student from a college at LoniKalbhor. Most college authorities in denial, some in despair At Symbiosis, Yeravdekar says, they have taken the problem headon. “There is no point in saying it doesn’t happen on my campus. The fact is that it happens everywhere. I believe the first step to solving a problem is acknowledging its existence. At our hostels, we have instructed all wardens to keep checking rooms and once we did a big exercise in which we swept all hostels. In the last few years, we suspended over 30 students and even incurred loss by refunding their fees because we want to send a strong message. We have even kept in touch with narcotics cell,” she says.In January 2013, a student named AyushRatanlalTikku was caught on the New Year’s eve by the anti-narcotics cell as he was in the possession of the party drug LSD and hashish. The student was from MIT College, Alandi. “It was a rare case. He didn’t stay in our college hostel but somewhere near Vimannagar. While we are very strict about rules

and regulations in the college campus, things that happen outside the campus are out of our control. We have always been vigilant and

after

this

incident,

the

monitoring

system

has

only

strengthened. In the past, we do have come across some rare cases of smoking and drinking in the campus and have taken disciplinary action,” said Yogesh Bhalerao, the principal.At Modern College in Shivaji Nagar, principal RajendraZunjarrao says drugs are generally consumed by students of affluent families. “I think the kind of families that students come from and also the atmosphere of our college, our students do not indulge in such things.”Most principals, when asked about steps taken for drug abuse prevention,

talk

about

awareness

campaigns.

Principal

of

NowrosjeeWadia college, K S Venkataraghavan, says they haven’t dealt with any case of drug abuse. “To prevent such incidents, we hold drug awareness programs time to time. We also have counsellors available on the campus if a student is in need of help,” he said.

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ANNEXURE P – 16 Date 7.4.2016 Udta Haryana: Even 14-yr-olds on a high Govt Rehabs Get About 20 Youths Daily On an average, 20 persons most aged below 35 arrive at staterun drug de-addiction centres in Haryana every day for treatment. At present, there are eight such centres in general hospitals at Ambala, Hissar, Gurgaon, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Sirsa, Narnaul and Kaithal.TOI spoke to psychiatrists at such centres to get the number and tendency of drugs among patients visiting these places for treatment.Dr Brahamdeep Sindhu, psychiatrist at the Gurgaon centre, said he received 30-40 addicts everyday for treatment and most of them were under 35 years.Dr Sindhu who is also running a special awareness campaign in the district in view of the increasing number of addicts said the surge in addicts could be gauged from the fact that earlier they had OPD on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but now it functions on all working days.He says most of the addicts had turned to drugs due to peer pressure and easy availability, adding that 40% of the patients from Gurgaon and adjoining areas were alcoholics, while the rest were addicted to cannabis, opioids and sedatives.Revealing the shocking state of drug abuse in the district, Dr Suresh Bhatia, psychiatrist at the Hissar centre, told TOI that 95% of the 15 to 20 persons visiting his centre every day were hooked to smack. He said a majority of such addicts are from urban areas of Hisar, Hansi, and Uklana.

Dr Bhatia said boys as young as 14 years old sought treatment. When asked, they said that initially the smack was provided free of cost in the group, but later they got addicted to it. Abuse of smack by youngsters in the region indicate that the drug is easily available, he said. Confirming the arrival of as many as 15-20 addicts every day at the OPD, Dr Jagtar Singh, psychiatrist at the Karnal-based deaddiction centre, said people in the area were into `bhukki' (poppy husk), psychotropic tablets and alcohol.During counselling, he noticed that many were addicted to bhukki, which is said to be supplied in villages during elections. Sirsa district which borders Punjab and is vulnerable to drug abuse does not even have a psychiatrist at its de-addiction centre.Same is the case with the other centres at Ambala and Narnaul.

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ANNEXURE P – 18 Date: 11.04.2016 Pune: Rising cases of drug abuse among teens Curiosity, kick and fun—some of the factors that pull youths into their ‘first-time’.This girl was excellent in studies throughout her school years, had always been a topper and was good at tennis too. When she was 15 and in junior college, she fell in love with a 19-year-old from the same college who was into substance abuse. Soon she was addicted too. Though she was from a well-to-do family, when she started falling short of money to buy marijuana, she started stealing money to feed her addiction. Later, she was not only taking drugs but was also selling them to her college friends. Six months ago she was hospitalized at a rehabilitation center.Curiosity, kick and fun—some of the factors that pull youths into their ‘first-time’. By the time they discover the trap they have gotten into—which may take from a few months to several years— it’s too late. While college authorities may deny, drug abuse is gradually gripping city students. City-based rehabilitation centres and counsellors unanimously say that the youth have moved on from charas-ganja and are abusing all kinds of drugs. While there is hope at the end of the tunnel, the recovery is slow and there are possibilities of a relapse too in some cases. ‘Students are not only doing drugs but also peddling’

“In the last five years, the number of drug abuse cases in females and youngsters in the age group of 14-16 has increased substantially. College students not only take drugs but are also peddling drugs these days for easy money. The drugs are easily available at cheap rates in slum areas,” said IndrajitDeshmukh, counsellor at Practical Life Skills, a rehabilitation center.Every month, the center gets 40 cases of drug abuse—the reasons ranging from social anxiety, fights with parents, stress, nuclear families and social constructs, Deshmukh said. “Earlier, the cases of drug abuse were in the age group of 35-40 but now, we have cases starting from 14 years itself. There has been a substantial rise—70 per cent in youth and 50 per cent in the cases of females,” he said, adding that whenever the center has approached educational institutes to conduct awareness program, they have refused due to “the fear that such program will expose their students to drugs”. Same is the case with parents—when they learn that their child has become a prey to addiction, they blame his friends. “Both colleges and parents are in denial,” he said. ‘Ten out of every 100 admitted are under 21’ As many as 100 persons—a majority being youngsters—are admitted every month at one of Pune’s largest and oldest deaddiction

centres.

MuktaPuntambekar,

project

director

of

Muktangan De-addiction center, said that statistics are grim and the writing was on the wall. “Yes, at least 10 per cent of the 100 admitted are youngsters under 21,” said Puntambekar, adding that

while a fair share of drug addicts at the center are from Pune, there are also cases from Mumbai and other parts of the country. Alcohol dependency is a huge problem but compounded with drugs, the issue has escalated, she said. Youngsters are not just doing the “usual ganja-charas drugs” but are on a high by using Meow Meow (mephedrone)—a synthetic stimulant drug.It’s observed that most patients come from broken families where communication is a huge issue between parents and children. Films influence some youths to experiment at parties, and youngsters are on a high and often decide to take drugs for a kick, said Puntambekar.At the one month-long course at Muktangan, addicts are treated both with medicines and psychological counselling. Art-based therapy is accepted among youths who show their creative skills here. “The counselling sessions are intense and while some get clean, there are children who still relapse despite the treatment,” she said. ‘Prolonged use of drugs leads to mental health issues’ Chaitanya Mental Health Centre which provides rehabilitation services for persons with mental disorders has reserved 60 beds for alcohol and drug addicts. “It’s no longer getting a high on corex (cough syrup) or the traditional marijuana. What we are finding is new methods taken up by these adolescents to get a high. It could be something like getting a high from even Fevicol-based products. For instance, a huge amount of Feviquick that has an acrid smell, is put in a plastic bag and the person just puts his/her head in it and inhales,” said Rony George, Director of Chaitanya Mental Health

Centre.

Addicts

are

experimenting

with

substances

like

mephedrone and we have had several cases also where prolonged use of marijuana causes mental health issues like hallucinations, delusions and paranoia in the abuser, he said. The rehabilitation process at Chaitanya can take a while with a minimum of three months. Half the battle is won if persons decide to give up the addiction, he said. “But if they are at the centre due to family pressure or fear of the police then it takes a really long time to get them clean. The recovery rate is slow at times,” said George. ‘If addiction starts between 14-18 years, prognosis is difficult’ At Jagriti Rehabilitation Centre, 50 per cent of the total patients are college students. While there are a few girls, most are boys. Dr Amar Shinde, counsellor and psychiatrist at the centre, said that one

of

the

drugs

that

is

caught

up

with

users

is

methylamphetamine—a medicinal drug, the sale of which is strict and cannot be done over the counter. The addiction started in Mumbai and has reached other states as well, said Shinde. “What is being sold by the peddlers is the impure form of the drug. What makes it dangerous is if done once, the person immediately gets addicted to it; treatment of its addicts is difficult at de-addiction centres also. In at least 80 per cent cases, there is a relapse after treatment,” said Shinde.Shinde added that if the addiction begins at the age of 14 to 18 years, prognosis becomes difficult. He recently received a case of a 16-year-old boy whose father was based in Dubai and mother was a principal in a school. The boy would be

alone at home and abuse drugs. “Tackling such cases is difficult,” he said, attributing the rise of drug abuse among adolescents to societal changes, social media and easily available money. “Once treated at the center, the person needs family support and shouldn’t be left alone,” he said. ‘Rehab centers are being treated like dumping grounds’ Some rehabilitation centers are cashing in on the rising cases of drug abuse and are using their centers as dumping grounds for addicts, said Prasad Oak, counsellor at Anandwan Rehabilitation Centre. While there are some centers that are genuinely working to tackle the problem, some are here only for making money. The result is that there’s a right approach for treatment of the problem. According to Oak, the decrease in age of drug addicts is disturbing. “However, the good thing is that awareness in society is increasing and people are coming early to rehab centers as compared to earlier days when it took years to accept the problem,” he said, adding that an addict requires a recovery period of 90 to 120 days in which his RBC cells regenerate, reducing chances of relapse.

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ANNEXURE P – 19 Date 15.6.2016 Udta Bengaluru: How South India’s ‘Drug Capital’ Is On A Dangerous High Let’s admit it. The film ‘Udta Punjab‘ lays bare the fact that Punjab is in denial that a major chunk of the state’s population, both young and old, rural and urban, are battling a drug epidemic. But it’s not Punjab alone which is awash with drugs.Bengaluru is facing similar problems. The question is, will it take an ‘Udta Bengaluru’ to wake up the Karnataka government to the scourge eating into its innards?The growing number of drug rackets busted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Bengaluru, in the last two years is a clear indication of rampant drug abuse in the IT city. In 2014, NCB Bengaluru, busted eight drug rackets. The number went up to 17 in 2015, as per the data available with the agency. The concern was discussed in a meeting at NCB’s head office in Delhi too, a senior

official

looking

after

operations

told

Youth

Ki

Awaaz.According to NCB officials, youngsters are more vulnerable to drug addiction. Drug peddlers know this and prey mostly on them.For the record, Bengaluru with a huge floating population, is infamous as the ‘drug capital’ of south India.On the basis of raids conducted by the NCB, the drug most popular among Bengaluru’s youth is LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide also known as acid),

followed by hashish, ecstasy pills, ganja, heroin, cocaine and MDMA, a pure form of ecstasy that goes by the street name ‘molly’. Mostly sold soaked-dry in tiny blotter paper, sugar cubes or gelatin, even 0.1 gram LSD is of considerable commercial value.Sunil Kumar Sinha, zonal director, NCB, Bengaluru told Youth Ki Awaaz that LSD “can be easily concealed anywhere, and detection is very difficult.” Still, NCB officials have seized a significant amount of the prohibited contraband entering the IT city in recent years. It is believed to be routed to the city via Goa from various European countries.In 2014, of all drug seizures, which included hashish, ecstasy pills, ganja, heroin, cocaine and MDMA— LSD stood out. In February 2014, the NCB confiscated 63 LSD blots and 23 LSD blots in October the same year. Four-five blots come to about 0.2 grams of the banned drug and each blot can either be a tiny piece of paper (difficult to measure) or even hidden in regular looking sugar cubes.In 2015, the agency in six separate cases seized LSD blot, LSD-laced sugar cubes and LSD blot papers.In 2016, so far, as many as 165 LSD blots (1.66 gram) have been impounded.Though these quantities might seem very small, a very expensive drug, 1 gram of LSD can make for as many as 30,000 doses of the banned substance, with the market value of each dose ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000. Now do the math.Asked if the usage of LSD has increased in Bengaluru over the years, Sinha says, “We can’t confirm the amount of usage, but high detection definitely points to high demand.”Social Media & Social

StigmaTo counter the drug menace, NCB, Bengaluru decided to take its fight public back in June 2014 and launched a Facebook page for the same. The move was intended to reach out to the tech-savvy young population of the city and create awareness on drug abuse.On the feedback received on Facebook, Sinha claims, “A lot of people have shared important information about drug rackets, traffickers and users over phone after following us on our Facebook page.”There is, however, a downside to creating awareness in the virtual world. Experts working for rehabilitation of addicts say online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter could prove counter-productive.“Because of the social stigma attached with addiction, neither addicts nor their families talk about the problem openly. We avoid interacting with people on Facebook and Twitter,” says Vivek M, President, Rehabilitation from Alcohol, Substance Abuse Prevention (RASP), a licensed rehabilitation center.Vivek’s concern doesn’t seem entirely unfounded. If the response to awareness campaigns and requests for information on social media is any indication, this post shared by the NCB on Facebook in June 25, 2015 got only three ‘Likes’ in a year.Even though the agency claims to have received several tip-offs over phone because of such public appeals, officials admit no victim of drugs would openly share information about the networks supplying drugs in the city on Facebook.“It’s risky. Drug trade is a law and order problem, a crime. Most of our callers are anonymous. We keep the identity of all our informers secret,” says Sinha.The

Facebook page of the NCB, Bengaluru chapter, had 560 ‘Likes’ at the time of filing this report. The Addiction Starts Young Rampant mostly among youngsters, drug addiction in Bengaluru, though, is not restricted to a particular age group, sex and class in society, say experts. According to a survey conducted by the Karnataka State Temperance Board, Bengaluru, in 2012, about 30% of school and college students in Bengaluru are drug addicts. The Board is an autonomous body, working under the Karnataka government, entrusted with the task of eradicating alcoholism and hazardous drug addiction. The city has 16 licensed rehabilitation centers, including the Centre for Addiction Medicine at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru.Drug rehabilitation centers observe that children as young as 13 years are getting addicted. “We have in-house patients as young as 11 years old also,”Vivek confessed to Youth Ki Awaaz. Tip Of The Iceberg SaifSadiq, a reformed drug addict-turned-outreach worker who works in his neighborhood on Tannery Road, says, “On Tannery Road, every household, and every lane has drug users.” Sadiq’s claim may sound a bit of an exaggeration but statistics also indicate the same.In 2015, Bengaluru-based NGO Sangama, along with the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS), identified around 534 drug users on Tannery Road and DJ Halli, a neighboring locality.“The number, 534 ‘injecting drug users’ (IDUs),

covers only those who have come out in the open and are seeking rehabilitation. It is just the tip of the iceberg,” says BaijuSatyan, Sadiq’s colleague and a former IDU.Satyan, 35, who was a call center employee, lost his job because of his addiction. “Those were difficult days. I got into drugs during my 20s. I come from a humble background. My parents have always been supportive, but it was under peer pressure that I got into drugs. I was an IDU,”Satyan reminisces about his past life.Talking about his rehabilitation process, he adds, “It is not an easy process. Thankfully, I have not used drugs for the last five years. I went to a rehabilitation center to free myself from drugs. There are always chances of relapse. I lead a disciplined life to keep myself away from drugs. We need love and compassion to get back into normal life. Addiction to various substances is considered as a crime. In reality, it is a disease and society should accept it to restrict its spread.”Not Foreign But Desi Enemy - Contrary to the general perception that mostly Africans living in India are involved in drug trafficking, the NCB has nabbed a large number of Indians while busting drug rackets. Of the 25 arrests made in 2014, 20 were Indians. In 2015, 23 out of 34 arrested were Indians, according to NCB, Bengaluru. In 2016, so far, two Indians and two foreigners have been arrested by the NCB for their involvement in drug rackets.Another fact that has come to the notice of the NCB, is how several illegal drug manufacturing units have come up in Karnataka in the last few years. One such unit was busted by the NCB in Mangaluru early this year. According to the agency, the manufacturing unit in the coastal city

was run from a home. The racketeers bought the chemicals required

over

MDMA. Similarly,

the

internet

officials

of

and the

were

Directorate

manufacturing of

Revenue

Intelligence (DRI) busted a factory in the outskirts of the city in April this year, which was manufacturing spurious drugs.In Punjab, it took almost a decade of government inaction and an election season for the problem of drug abuse to become a matter of national debate. Is Karnataka too waiting for an election to address the situation?

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ANNEXURE P – 20 Date 17.6.2016 Udta Punjab: A riveting dose of reality As Abhishek Chaubey’sUdta Punjab begins to unspool, it becomes apparent almost instantly that it isn’t an average commercial Hindi film. It is easy to see why influential forces wouldn’t want it to be seen.It is a film that articulates the bitter truth–yes, much of it might have been exaggerated for dramatic effect–about the reality of substance abuse in Punjab and its causes. In language and deeds, it pulls no punches.The screenplay, jointly written by Sudip Sharma and the director, is unambiguous about its stand on drug addiction: it sides with those that lead the fight against the peddlers and with those who wage war on their inner demons.Bolstered by strong acting all round, ‘Udta Punjab’ soars on the wings of an edgy storyline that goes for the jugular.As the robust title songs plays out, the film introduces the audience not only to the volatile man who belts out the number–pop star Tommy Singh (Shahid Kapoor)–but also to three other principal characters without spelling out who they are.Over the next few minutes, the script quickly places the crucial narrative cards on the table.A Bihari girl (Alia Bhatt) who works on an agricultural land on the border, stumbles upon a pouch of heroin that has been thrown in from across the border as part of a deal.

Assistant

sub-inspector

Sartaj

Singh

(Punjabi

actor-singer

DiljitDosanjh in his first Bollywood role) is seen as part of posse of compromised cops who let trucks with drug consignments pass their checkpoint for a consideration.Fighting the worsening drug menace is Dr PreetSahani (Kareena Kapoor Khan), whose role expands when the ASI’s heroin addict brother is wheeled into her hospital frothing at the mouth.From here on, ‘Udta Punjab’ presents a life and death battle for all the four–the crooner and the farm hand fight to drag themselves out of a hole, while the cop and the doctor join forces to get to the bottom of the drug racket.While the first half of the film is devoted largely to setting the stage for the dramatic high points leading up to the climax, ‘Udta Punjab’ turns increasingly violent as the cop’s young brother tries to flee the deaddiction centre, Tommy Singh runs away from a concert, and the nameless Bihari migrant worker makes a dash for freedom from those that have held her captive.The climax, which is explosive and bloody, defines the enormity of the crisis that the north Indian state faces today.‘Udta Punjab’ makes no bones about who is to blame for the current situation. It goes to the extent of pointing fingers at elected representatives of the people and fake pharma companies that divert government-controlled supplies of opium to feed the state’s drug cartels.‘Udta Punjab’ is a rare Mumbai film that blends a riveting, and often unsettling, narrative around facts and details drawn from real news reportage. It does so with style and flair, aided immensely by outstanding performances by the principal cast.Shahid Kapoor does not hold back a whit in fleshing out the

robust but troubled rock star. Dosanjh, in contrast, underplays his part to great effect. Kareena Kapoor Khan, who has the least etched out of the four principal roles, makes the most of the limited opportunities.Alia Bhatt is a revelation. She subsumes her peppy urban girl persona into her rustic character so completely as to be barely recognisable.

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PROFORMA FOR FIRST LISTING SECTION:PIL The case pertains to : (Please tick/check the correct box) Central Act

: Constitution of India

Section

: 32

Central Rule

: N/A

Rule No(s)

: N/A

State Act

: N/A

Section

: N/A

State Rule

: N/A

Rule No(s)

: N/A

Impugned Interim Order

: N/A

Impugned Final Order/Decree

: N/A

High Court

: N/A

Name of Judges

: N/A

Tribunal/Authority

: N/A

1.

Nature of matter

2.

(a) (b) (c) (a) (b) (c)

Petitioner/appellant No.1 e-mail ID Mobile phone number Respondent No.1 e-mail ID Mobile phone number

: : : : : :

4.

(a) (b)

Main category classification Sub classification

: :

5.

Not to be listed before

: N/A

6.

Similar/Pending matter

: N/A

7.

Criminal Matters

: N/A

3.

Civil Vineet Dhanda N/A N/A Union of India & Ors. N/A N/A

(a) Whether accused/convict has surrendered

Yes

No

(b) (c) (d) (e)

FIR No. N/A Date: N/A Police Station : N/A Sentence Awarded : N.A. Sentenced Undergone : N.A.

8.

Land Acquisition Matters : (a) Date of Section 4 notification (b) Date of Section 6 notification (c) Date of Section 17 notification

9.

Tax Matters

N/A N/A N/A N/A

: N/A

10. Special Category ( first petitioner/appellant only): N/A Senior citizen > 65 years SC/ST Woman/child Disabled Legal Aid case In Custody 11. Vehicle Number (in case of Motor Accident Claim Matters): N/A 12. Decided case with citation

: N/A

Date: 13.07.2016 AOR for petitioner (s)/appellant(s) Dr. J.P. DHANDA Registration: No.: 1119 Email id: [email protected]

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL ORIGINAL JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION CIVIL NO.

OF 2016

IN THE MATTER OF: Vineet Dhanda

Petitioner VERSUS

Union of India & Ors

Respondents AFFIDAVIT

I, Vineet Dhanda (Advocate), S/o Dr. J.P. Dhanda R/o Flat No. 0102, Tower No.9, Supreme Court Bar Association Multi State Group Housing Society, Sector 99, Noida, Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P. presently, at New Delhi do hereby solemnly affirm and declare as under: 1.

That the deponent is the petitioner in the present Writ petition and he is competent to swear this affidavit as he is conversant with the facts of the present Writ Petition.

2.

That I have read and understood the contents of the accompanying Writ Petition and List of Dates in pages B to and para 1 to 55 of the Writ Petition at pages 1 to and I.As and the same is drafted by me and same are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

3.

That there is no personal gain, private motive or oblique reason for filing the PIL. The public interest litigation is the only mode and a proper way to ensure the protection of human being as well as the prime duty of government and administration.

4.

That I say that the annexures filed with the Writ Petition are true/translated copies of their respective originals.

DEPONENT VERIFICATION: I verify that the facts stated in paragraphs 1 to 3 hereinabove are true to my knowledge and belief derived from the records, no part of it is false and nothing material has been concealed there-from. Verified at New Delhi on this the 11th day of July, 2016.

DEPONENT

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL ORIGINAL JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION CIVIL NO.

OF 2016

IN THE MATTER OF: Vineet Dhanda

Petitioner VERSUS

Union of India & Ors.

Respondents WITH

I.A.NO._________OF 2016 AN APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO FILE LENGTHY LIST OF DATES

PAPER BOOK

[FOR INDEX KINDLY SEE INSIDE]

DR. J.P.DHANDA: ADVOCATE FOR THE PETITIONER

INDEX S.No.

1.

PARTICULARS

PAGES

LISTING PROFORMA

A-A1

2.

List of Dates

B-II

3.

Writ Petition with affidavit

1-52

4.

ANNEXURE - P1

53-56

A copy of the Article dated 4.4.2008 Published on website of Youth Ki Awaaz 5.

57-62

ANNEXURE – P2

A copy of the Article dated 19.9.2013 Published on website of Institute for defence

studies

and

Analyses

(IDSA.in) 6.

63-69

ANNEXURE – P3

A copy of the Article dated 22.11.2013 Published

on

website

of

indiatoday.india.in magazine 7.

70-72

ANNEXURE – P4

A copy of the news Article dated 23.6.2014

published

in

Hindustan

Times 8.

73-75

ANNEXURE – P5

A

copy

of

the

Article

14.8.2014

Published on website of Hindustan Times.com 9.

76-79

ANNEXURE – P6

A copy of the article dated 29.8.2014 Published

on

indianexpress.com

website

of

10.

80-82

ANNEXURE – P7

A copy of the Article dated 5.11.2014 Published

on

website

of

hindustantimes.com 11.

83-90

ANNEXURE – P8

A copy of the Article dated 19.4.2015 Published

on

website

of

hindustantimes.com 12.

91-92

ANNEXURE – P9

A

copy

Published

of

the

Article

on

26.6.2015

website

of

indiaspeed.com.coverstory 13.

93-96

Annexure P-10

A copy of the

Article 26.6.2015

Published on website of The Times of India 14.

97-98

Annexure P-11

A copy of the Article dated 30.6.2015 Published

on

website

of

newindiaexpress.com 15.

99-101

Annexure P-12

A copy of the Article dated 6.9.2015 Published

on

website

of

artcle.economictime.indiatimes.com 16.

102-109

Annexure P-13

A copy of the Article dated 21.11.2015 Published on website of m.dailyhunt.in 17.

110-111

Annexure P-14

A copy of the Article dated 7.1.2016 Published

on

indiatoday.intoday.in

website

of

18.

112-118

Annexure P-15

A copy of the Article dated 30.01.2016 Published

on

website

of

The

Economics Times. 19.

119-120

Annexure P-16

A copy of the Article dated 7.4.2016 Published

on

website

of

timesofindia.indiatimes.com(city) 20.

121-125

Annexure P-17

A copy of the Article dated 10.4.2016 Published

on

website

of

indianexpress.com 21.

126-130

Annexure P-18

A copy of the Article dated 11.4.2016 Published

on

website

of

indianexpress.com 22.

131-136

Annexure P-19:

A copy of the Article dated 15.6.2016 Published

on

website

of

www.pinterest.com/pin 23.

137-139

Annexure P-20:

A copy of the Article dated 17.6.2016 Published

on

website

of

www.deccanherald.com 24.

140-141

Annexure P-21:

A copy of the Article dated 8.7.2016 published

in

The

Times

of

India

newspaper 25.

An application for lengthy list of dates

142-144

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA CIVIL ORIGINAL JURISDICTION

I.A.NO.______OF 2016

in WRIT PETITION CIVIL NO.

OF 2016

IN THE MATTER OF: Vineet Dhanda

Petitioner VERSUS

Union of India & Ors.

Respondents

AN APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO FILE LENGHTY LIST OF DATES

TO THE HON’BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA AND HIS COMPANION JUSTICES OF THE HON’BLE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA THE HUMBLE PETITION OF THE PETITIONER ABOVE NAMED:

MOST RESPECTFULLY SHOWETH: 1.

That

the

petitioners

above

named

most

respectfully submit this petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India is being preferred in Public Interest Litigation.

2.

That the facts stated and the grounds taken in the body of the Writ Petition may be read as part of present application as such those are not being reproduced in order to avoid repetition and for the sake of brevity.

3.

That it is submitted that as the matter is in Public Interest

Litigation

therefore

the

thorough

consideration and number of annexures which has been annexed with the petition are necessary to be detailed, therefore the list of dates become lengthy which may be permitted in the interest of justice. 4.

It is submitted that serious prejudice will be caused to the rights and interest of the petitioner if the permission to file lengthy list of dates is not permitted to be brought on record. PRAYER

In the facts and circumstances of the case, this Hon’ble Court may be pleased to: a)

permit the applicant/petitioner to file lengthy list

of dates;

b. may

pass such order or orders as this Hon’ble Court deem

fit

and

proper

in

the

facts

and

circumstances of the case. AND THIS ACT OF KINDNESS THE APPLICANT AS IN DUTY BOUND SHALL EVER PRAY. Drawn and filed by: Drawn on:13.07.2016 [J.P. DHANDA] Advocate for the petitioners

WITH I.A.NO._________OF 2016 AN APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO FILE LENGTHY LIST OF DATES