Jammu, May 14 (NVI): The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has advocated a policy of “zero leniency” against habitual drug offenders, observing that public interest and societal welfare must outweigh personal liberty in cases involving repeat narcotics offenders.
While rejecting a bail application in a heroin recovery case, Justice Rajesh Sekhri said repeated involvement in drug-related offences indicates a strong likelihood of reoffending, making such accused ineligible for lenient consideration under the law.
The court observed that the increasing menace of drug trafficking, particularly among the youth, poses a serious threat to society and warrants a strict judicial approach in matters related to bail under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The High Court noted that accused persons with multiple pending cases of a similar nature often fail to satisfy the stringent conditions prescribed under the NDPS Act for grant of bail, especially when their criminal antecedents suggest a possibility of continuing involvement in narcotics activities.
Refusing bail in a case involving recovery of a commercial quantity of heroin, the court said that protection of public health, societal morality and the fight against organised drug crimes must take precedence over individual liberty in appropriate cases.
The observations came during the hearing of a bail plea filed by an accused allegedly involved in repeated narcotics offences. (NVI)
