Slams police for six-month delay; Over 2,300 tablets allegedly sold illegally
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: In a major development, the Principal Sessions Judge (Special Judge under NDPS Act) Udhampur, Virinder Singh Bhou, has ordered the registration of an FIR and constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe what he termed a “serious case” of illegal sale of narcotic and psychotropic drugs from a private neuro-psychiatric clinic in Udhampur.
The order follows a complaint by Lt. Col. (Dr.) Charanpreet Singh (Retd.), former Head of Psychiatry at Military Hospital, Kirkee, through his counsel Advocate Aseem Kumar Sawhney, alleging that the proprietor Shiva Sharma and pharmacist Babir Hussain of M/s Jeevanjyoti Neuro Psychiatric Centre continued dispensing Schedule III drugs under the NDPS Act even after he resigned as “Person Incharge” in January 2025.
Despite the Chief Medical Officer’s directive to halt operations until a new doctor joined, the accused allegedly sold over 2,300 tablets illegally, misusing the complainant’s name, forging records, and even removing drug stock sealed by the authorities.
A multi-department inspection team on January 23, 2025-comprising the Additional SP, District TB Officer, and Drugs Control Officer-found glaring violations, but police failed to register an FIR, opting instead for a “preliminary inquiry” that dragged on for six months.
Slamming the delay as “extraneous” and “illegal,” the court cited the Supreme Court’s rulings in Lalita Kumari and Khursheed Ahmad Chohan, which mandate immediate FIR registration in cognizable offences.
The court directed immediate registered FIR under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023, and NDPS Act and further directed for formation of SIT with officers of integrity, aided by CMO, District TB Officer, and Drugs Control Officer.A caution to erring officers to handle serious offences with urgency.The SSP and SHO Udhampur must submit a compliance report within a week.
