Meghalaya will utilise the tougher Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act (PITNDPS) 1988 to crack down on drug trafficking in the state, Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh said today.
The 1988 act will be invoked soon now that Meghalaya has the required structures in place. This law will replace the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985, which is “obsolete” with many loopholes, Lyngdoh said.
Meetings were held with the Home Minister and Director General of Police, which has seen the way to invoking the act in the state.
An advisory board has been appointed to function under the law. The board acts like a court of appeal, where any person who has been detained can challenge his/her detention.
The advisory board comprises a chairman, Justice (Retd) Shivaji Pandey and two members who are Senior Advocates of the Meghalaya High Court, ND Chillai and Tshering Yangi.
Lyngdoh added that in the past there were complaints about how the people involved in drugs were repeat offenders as they wait to be prosecuted. Under the PITNDPS, the state can detain such persons for a period of not less than three months.
If the detention has to cross more than six months, the matter comes under the advisory board for consideration. “The advisory board is vested with the power of validating such detentions and the detention shall be upto one year under Clause 7, Section 9,” explained the minister.
