Following the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s directive for the Director-General of Police to assign a “very senior officer” to investigate all cases under the NDPS Act related to alleged smuggling from prisons, the court was informed that committees have been established at both the range and commissionerate levels to review these cases. According to a document from the DGP dated May 16, submitted to Justice NS Shekhawat’s Bench, the committees at the range level will be chaired by the Additional Director General of Police, Inspector General of Police, or Deputy Inspector General, while those at the commissionerate level will be led by the police commissioner. Additionally, IPS officer and Additional Director-General of Police for the Anti-Narcotics Task Force, Nilabh Kishore, has been tasked with overseeing the examination of the files from these panels. Justice Shekhawat previously criticized the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Amritsar (Rural) for taking a “very casual approach” in questioning jail officials suspected of facilitating smuggling operations from the Amritsar Central Jail. The SSP has been ordered to present the complete investigation records in court. This reprimand occurred during the hearings of three related petitions, in which the defendants were allegedly engaged in smuggling activities while incarcerated in Central Jail.
High Court panel will examine cases related to the NDPS Act concerning smuggling activities within jails across Punjab.
