Expedite action plan on drugs abuse: SC to AIIMS

◗ The AIIMS has to formulate the national policy to curb the drugs menace, educate people about ill- effects of substance abuse

New Delhi, Sept. 10: The Supreme Court on Monday asked AIIMS and the Centre to expedite the national survey as also the formulation of action plan to curb the growing menace of drug abuse in the society, including by schoolgoing children.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A. M. Khanwilkar and D. Y. Chandrachud was informed by the Centre that the survey has already begun, in March this year, and the ministry of social justice and empowerment have been involved in the process. “We expect the AIIMS and Union of India to abide by our orders. List the PIL in the 2nd week of February” the bench said when additional solicitor general Maninder Singh sought 12 weeks time for completing the survey and the analysis of the report.

The court was hearing a PIL filed last year by Ketireddy Jagadishwar Reddy, through lawyer Sravan Kumar, alleging that the 2016 verdict of the apex court on the plea of NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan ( BBA) was not being complied with.

The apex court had on July 22 asked the All India Institute of Medical Sciences to formulate a national action plan to curb the growing menace of drug abuse in the society, including by schoolgoing children. The court had also made it clear to the ASG that no extension of time would be granted to the government and AIIMS in formulating the policy on drug menace as the issue was of “national importance”.

While deciding the PIL of BBA of Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, the apex court, in December 2016, had issued a slew of guidelines and had asked the Centre to formulate within six months the national action plan to curb rising substance abuse cases among school children and had also ordered a national survey to gauge the extent of the menace.

The AIIMS has to formulate the national policy to curb the rising drugs menace in society, besides formulating the measures to educate people about the ill effects of substance abuse. Earlier also, the bench had taken a similar view on the plea filed by the NGO seeking enforcement of the apex court verdict delivered on its PIL in 2016.