'Drug dealers must be dealt with firm hand': Supreme Court calls for severe crackdown on those ruining young lives

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday underscored the need for a stringent approach towards those involved in drug trafficking, observing that they are destroying the lives of the country's youth "generation after generation."

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sheel Nagu and V Mohana rejected the bail plea of an accused arrested in June 2022 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

"People dealing with drugs will have to be dealt with a very firm hand. They are destroying the lives of youths of this country generation after generation," Justice Nath remarked while dismissing the petition.

The accused had approached the apex court challenging the Madras High Court's February order refusing him bail.

The High Court had noted that it was his sixth successive bail application in the case. According to the prosecution, on June 11, 2022, the petitioner and two others were seen standing with a bag.

Upon noticing the police, they attempted to flee. A search led to the recovery of 21 MDMA (ecstasy) tablets weighing around 10.15 grams from the bag.

The third accused, who had managed to escape initially, was later arrested based on the confessions of the petitioner and the other co-accused.

Before the High Court, the petitioner's counsel argued that the seized contraband was produced before the special court in Chennai only on July 5, 2022, and had remained in police custody without proper authorisation in the interim.

The lawyer also pointed out that despite the High Court directing in November 2024 that the trial be completed within six months, proceedings were still pending, even as the co-accused had been granted bail.

The state counsel, however, maintained that the quantity of MDMA tablets recovered fell under the commercial category and that three persons were involved in the offence.

The High Court had accordingly dismissed the bail plea.

The apex court's firm stance comes as a strong reiteration of the judiciary's tough position on narcotics-related offences, given their devastating impact on young lives.