Kerala has moved to accelerate the establishment of new courts for cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act after the state government told the Kerala High Court that a core committee would assess staffing, locations and other requirements in districts where the courts have been allotted.
The committee will comprise the secretaries of the finance and home departments, the registrar of the district judiciary and the district judges of the concerned districts, Advocate General K Jaju Babu told the court. He also assured the bench that the requirements of each district would be reviewed through regular deliberations so that necessary sanctions can be expedited.
The submissions were made in a suo motu case initiated by the high court over the high pendency of NDPS cases in Kerala. The court had taken up the issue after concerns that the lack of adequate dedicated courts was contributing to delays in the disposal of cases.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice C Jayachandran recorded the submissions during the hearing and directed the registrar of the district judiciary to place on record the progress made in establishing the new NDPS courts. The matter has been adjourned for consideration after four weeks.
The court was informed that locations had already been identified within existing district court complexes in Palakkad, Thrissur and Manjeri. Using space within functioning court complexes may allow the new courts to be established without waiting for separate premises, although the state will still have to complete the administrative and staffing arrangements required for them to function.
The registrar of the district judiciary also filed an affidavit setting out the requirements of NDPS courts that have already been sanctioned. The details placed before the court concern the practical capacity needed to make the sanctioned courts operational, including personnel and related administrative support.
The state has issued a government order sanctioning the redeployment of 10 court attendant posts from existing courts to the newly constituted NDPS courts. The redeployment covers the judicial districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Palakkad, Manjeri and Thrissur.
The proceedings also recorded progress in Ernakulam, where counsel for the high court said the NDPS court had already become operational. The status of the other sanctioned courts, including the readiness of their premises and staffing, is expected to be placed before the court as part of the progress report sought by the bench.
The case places the administrative chain behind court capacity under judicial scrutiny. Establishing a dedicated court requires coordination between the judiciary and the state departments responsible for finance, home administration and staff sanctions. The committee announced before the high court is intended to bring those requirements together at the district level.
The next assessment will therefore focus on whether the identified locations, sanctioned courts and redeployed posts have translated into functioning NDPS courts. The registrar of the district judiciary is expected to submit the progress made before the matter returns for consideration after four weeks.
