Amid push for drug control, low conviction rate plays spoilsport in Telangana
Low conviction rate in narcotic cases is debilitating the ongoing drive against drug menace in the State. In a recent meeting with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, senior officers of the Telangana Anti-Narcotics Bureau (TGANB) underlined “lapses made by the investigating officers” as the key cause behind this issue.
As many as 819 ‘advisory memos’ were issued to the investigating officers on their lapses in the registration of First Information Reports (FIRs), a senior official said. In addition, 40 nodal officers from the TGANB were appointed across 30 commissionerates/districts including railways.
The conviction rate of the department was just 13.84% in 2023. To put things in perspective, of the 261 cases reported in the past year, only 36 cases resulted in conviction. Meanwhile, the Prohibition and Excise Department reported a conviction rate of 4.76% the same year.
Earlier last month, in a letter to the Chief Minister, president of Forum for Good Governance M. Padmanabha Reddy called for strengthening the prosecution wing for narcotics cases, citing past examples, which are either under trial for a considerable period or ended in acquittal.
The number game
Of the 19,550 arrests made under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the past year, 4,777 cases are pending, 2,845 cases have been disposed of and 1,765 cases are under investigation, data from the Drug Offender Profiling, Analysis and Monitoring system (DOPAMS) showed. Notably, 10,289 offenders are still at large.
To bridge the gaps, the department is training all its investigating officers on topics such as registration of FIR in cases under the NDPS Act, confession-cum-seizure panchanama and overview of NDPS Act.
Meanwhile, 11 key spots, including Bhadrachalam Bridge, Chetti crossroad, Narsipatnam, Venkatapuram Bridge and Ashwaraopeta Highway NH516D, have been identified to establish 24×7 check posts with armed personnel to prevent drug trade. In addition, eight key routes through which narcotics are flowing into the State from the bordering States have been identified.
A website is in the works to spread information on the soon-to-be opened narcotics police stations, Regional Narcotics Control Cells and narcotics enforcement wing. This will also contain information on drug awareness and de-addiction centres in the State among other things.
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