Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner's Proposal Empowers Police Chiefs Across Maharashtra To Detain Drug Traffickers

Navi Mumbai: A proposal moved by Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe has led to the Maharashtra government decentralising powers to order preventive detention of drug traffickers under the PIT-NDPS Act, 1988, enabling Police Commissioners and range-level Inspector Generals of Police across the state to take direct action against habitual offenders.

Earlier, the powers to order detention under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988, were vested exclusively in the Principal Secretary (Home). Following Bharambe’s proposal, the state government has delegated these powers to Police Commissioners of the rank of Inspector General of Police or above within their respective jurisdictions, as well as Inspectors General of Police in charge of police ranges.

The Home Department issued a notification to this effect last month, under Section 3(1) of the Act, superseding previous orders and notifications on the matter.

The decision is expected to help police units across Maharashtra initiate preventive action against habitual drug traffickers more swiftly, without depending on the earlier centralised arrangement. Offenders against whom two or more narcotics-related cases have been registered can be considered for preventive detention under the Act, subject to the applicable legal requirements.

Reacting to the decision, Bharambe said, “It was essential to take tough decisions at the local level to protect the younger generation from the grip of drugs and completely dismantle the networks operated by drug mafias. The state government’s decision to grant preventive detention powers directly to Police Commissioners and range-level Inspector Generals of Police will significantly speed up action against traffickers. It will enable us to take faster and stricter action against organised and professional drug traffickers. The Navi Mumbai Police will further intensify its campaign to make the city drug-free.”

The move is expected to strengthen preventive action against organised drug trafficking across Maharashtra by giving senior police officers greater authority to act within their respective jurisdictions.

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