Comply with NDPS Act procedures, HC tells cops

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directed all the investigating officers, prosecuting agencies, and special courts handling cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, across the state to strictly comply with the procedures outlined in Section 52A (disposal of seized articles) of the Act and the NDPS (Seizure, Storage, Sampling and Disposal) Rules, 2022.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Madurai

The home secretary and the registrar general of the Madras HC have been directed to soon issue a comprehensive circular in this regard.

Justice B Pugalendhi issued the directive while hearing an appeal filed by R Manimaran, seeking the return of his lorry seized in an NDPS case in 2021. Though Manimaran was acquitted in the case in 2023, the Additional District Court for EC and NDPS Act cases in Pudukkottai dismissed his request to return the vehicle.