A view of Delhi High Court. | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre on a petition claiming discrepancies between the figures reported by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and those provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) over seizure of heroin between 2018-2020.
The petition filed by B.R. Aravindakshan, a journalist serving as editor in a leading Tamil news channel, said that in 2018, the NCRB reported a seizure of 22,263 kg of heroin, while the MHA accounted for only 19,691.155 kg, resulting in a discrepancy of 2,571 kg.
“Additionally, the MHA claimed Sikkim seized 15,000 kg of heroin, but no agency confirmed this seizure. Similarly, in 2020, the NCRB documented the seizure of 55,804 kg of heroin, but the MHA disclosed 50,000 kg in Sikkim and 3,200 kg in Manipur, which the respective State police departments denied,” his plea said.
The petitioner said his “investigations, including RTI inquiries, revealed contradictory responses from agencies disavowing the reported seizures”.
Paramount importance
“Considering the paramount importance being placed on the reports published by the NCRB and the communications with the political representatives, it is crucial that these numbers are not just numbers but facts build up with authenticity and accountability,” the plea said.
The petition sought a thorough inquiry by the Ministry of Finance into these discrepancies, and proposed involving specialised agencies such as the CBI or NIA for a comprehensive investigation into the missing heroin and the inconsistencies in seizure records.
“On the verge of attaining and accomplishing a ‘drug-free India’, the statistical first hand data is the sole driving factor that provokes the efficient working of the campaign against drug,” the plea said.
The court will hear the case again on September 9.
