Kerala HC directs State to operationalise promised NDPS Courts on time
The Kerala High Court has ordered the state and union governments to explain delays in establishing exclusive courts for NDPS Act cases. With over 8,000 cases pending, the court warned of potential contempt proceedings if the promised infrastructure is not operationalized.
Why it matters
It highlights systemic issues in the Indian judicial system regarding the backlog of drug-related criminal cases.
The Kerala High Court has directed the State and Union governments to file their statements on the delay and pending issues in the establishment and implementation of exclusive courts for the trial of cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The court was informed by the District Judiciary that there were a total of 8,422 NDPS cases pending in the State. Ernakulam ranked first with 1,492 cases, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (1,245) and Palakkad (1,055). The Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice C. Jayachandran expressed concern over the undue delay by the State in establishing the special courts, despite several directions from January 2026.
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