SHC bars Excise, Narcotics Dept from investigating drug cases

KARACHI: The Sindh Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department has been restricted from registering, investigating, and prosecuting cases of narcotics in the light of orders of the Sindh High Court.

The Sindh High Court, after heairng a criminal appeal, declared on June 19, 2021 registration, investigation and prosecution by the Excise Police under the Anti-Narcotics Act as illegal, and ordered the department to hand over them to "area police stations" for further proceedings.

Following the court orders, the Director General Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control directed the directors of all divisional headquarters to hand over the record to the Sindh Police. He also barred them from registering any new case under the Act. Previously, the cases related to narcotics were being registered, subsequently investigated and prosecuted by the department by Sindh Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department under Section 21( 1) of Control of Narcotics Substances Act, 1997.