High Court Directs CBI-NCB to Tackle Sale of Banned Medicines Without Prescription

Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu): The Punjab-Haryana High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to take action against drug dealers selling banned substances without valid prescriptions. The court issued this order based on an interim status report from the CBI, which highlighted the illegal sale of controlled medications without a doctor's prescription and the fabrication of fake prescriptions to conceal these sales. The court has instructed both agencies to submit a report by March 4, detailing the steps they have taken in this matter.

Additionally, the court emphasized that both agencies should ensure that any medication requiring a valid prescription is not being sold by retailers or chemists without one. The court has also instructed the police forces of Punjab and Haryana to cooperate with the agencies in this operation, noting that drug trafficking is not confined to Punjab but has spread to Haryana and Himachal Pradesh as well.

The court further told the Punjab government to view this action as part of the ongoing battle against drugs, rather than as an opposition to the police. The court also pointed out that the Punjab government itself had acknowledged the large number of cases registered under the NDPS Act in the state. Furthermore, the court refused to retract its 2021 order, which had transferred the investigation from the Punjab Police to the CBI.