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HC seeks response on ‘existential threat’ to Punjab from drug menace
The petition primarily dealt with reports that a five-month-old child was allegedly sold by his drug-addict parents for ₹1.8 lakh and a criminal case was registered in Mansa.
The Punjab and Haryana high court has sought a detailed response from the Punjab government on a plea claiming “threat to existential crisis” of the state due to drugs menace.
“The larger question of the drug problem in Punjab needs to be dealt with, and, therefore, the State is directed to file a para wise reply to this petition within a period of three weeks,” the bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry said, while deferring the hearing for December 10.
The petition primarily dealt with reports that a five-month-old child was allegedly sold by his drug-addict parents for ₹1.8 lakh and a criminal case was registered in Mansa. To this, the government has informed the court on Friday that both mother and father are in jail and the child has been kept at Shri Anant Anaath Ashram located in Bathinda.
The parents told the authorities that they cannot take care of the child and the boy be kept with the facility, where the government decided to keep him. They will take custody of the child once they have got rid of the addiction, the court was told, referring to the parents’ statement given to authorities.
The court upon perusal of the report observed that the court, for the time being, is satisfied that the welfare of the child is being looked after satisfactorily by the state. However, it asked the Punjab’s counsel to file a detailed reply on the other issues raised in the petition filed on November 14.
The petition by one Labh Singh, a retired boxing coach, and a resident of Ludhiana, had sought directions in the public interest litigation to take strict and effective measures to eradicate and control drug menace in Punjab. “...across Punjab, addicts are seen pawning every possession, stealing public property, and even turning violent against their own kin. Mothers live in terror of losing their sons to overdose; fathers helplessly watch their homes crumble. Families are vanishing, one addiction at a time. The most sacred bonds - between parent and child - are being torn apart by a white powder called ‘chitta’,” the plea had said, adding that despite countless promises, slogans, and campaigns, the state and its machinery have “failed” to act with seriousness and continuity.
“The problem is not one of law enforcement alone, it is one of humanity, rehabilitation, and moral responsibility. The authorities appear to have turned a blind eye to what has become an existential crisis for Punjab,” the plea had said citing another case where former Punjab director general of police (DGP) Mohammad Mustafa had stated that his only son died in October due to drug addiction.
