📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Bollywood Hungama
Crime
Punjab High Court Orders Weekly Hearings as 44% Prisoners Found Addicted to Drugs
✍️ Amar Ujala · Jalandhar
🗓 02 Sep 2026, 09:36 AM
👁 178
The Punjab‑Haryana High Court has expressed serious concern over drug dependence among inmates, noting that nearly half of the prison population tests positive, and has mandated weekly hearings for the addicts.
The Punjab‑Haryana High Court has taken note of a recent survey indicating that 44 per cent of inmates in the state's prisons test positive for drug use. The court described the high prevalence of substance dependence as a "serious menace" to prison security and rehabilitation efforts.
In response, the bench directed prison authorities to set up a dedicated docket that will hear cases of drug‑addicted prisoners on a weekly basis. The aim is to expedite treatment referrals, monitor compliance with de‑addiction programmes, and ensure that legal proceedings related to drug offences are not unduly delayed.
Prison officials have been asked to submit regular progress reports to the court, outlining the number of inmates enrolled in rehabilitation, the availability of medical support, and any challenges faced in curbing the drug trade inside correctional facilities.
The ruling underscores the judiciary's growing focus on health‑related issues within the penal system and signals a push for more systematic intervention to break the cycle of addiction among incarcerated individuals.
In response, the bench directed prison authorities to set up a dedicated docket that will hear cases of drug‑addicted prisoners on a weekly basis. The aim is to expedite treatment referrals, monitor compliance with de‑addiction programmes, and ensure that legal proceedings related to drug offences are not unduly delayed.
Prison officials have been asked to submit regular progress reports to the court, outlining the number of inmates enrolled in rehabilitation, the availability of medical support, and any challenges faced in curbing the drug trade inside correctional facilities.
The ruling underscores the judiciary's growing focus on health‑related issues within the penal system and signals a push for more systematic intervention to break the cycle of addiction among incarcerated individuals.