Gujarat tops cases under narcotics, prohibition law: NCRB data
In 2021, of the 10.93 lakh cases registered in the country under the Prohibition Law and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act, 2.84 lakh were in Gujarat, followed by 2.15 lakh in Tamil Nadu. In 2020, Gujarat accounted for 2.42 lakh such cases, while Tamil Nadu recorded 1.68 lakh cases.
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Gujarat recorded 461 cases under the NDPS Act. FileGujarat registered the highest number of cases under laws related to prohibition and narcotic drugs in 2021, says the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
In 2021, of the 10.93 lakh cases registered in the country under the Prohibition Law and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act, 2.84 lakh were in Gujarat, followed by 2.15 lakh in Tamil Nadu. In 2020, Gujarat accounted for 2.42 lakh such cases, while Tamil Nadu recorded 1.68 lakh cases.
Similar to the previous year, the maximum number of cases in both Gujarat and Tamil Nadu were attributed to those related to the Prohibition Act. While of the total 2.84 lakh cases in Gujarat, 2.83 lakh alone accounted for crimes under the Prohibition Act, the same in Tamil Nadu was 2.08 lakh. The total number of cases registered under the Prohibition Act in 2021 was 6.78 lakh, the NCRB report claims.
Compared to the previous year, there has been about 17 per cent increase in cases under Prohibition Act over a year in Gujarat. In 2020, too, the state, at 2.43 lakh, accounted for the highest number of similar cases, followed by Tamil Nadu at 1.74 lakh.
The report says only 461 cases were registered under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which prohibits a person the production/manufacturing/cultivation, possession, sale, purchasing, transport, storage, and/or consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance.
In Gujarat, any unlicenced vending or consumption or carrying of liquor is a criminal offence under the Prohibition law. In Tamil Nadu, the sole licence of retail vending of Indian made foreign liquor in shops and bars was given to Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Ltd (TASMAC) following the amendment to the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act, 1937, in 2003. Following the move, Tamil Nadu Liquor Retail Vending (in Shops and Bars) Rules, 2003, came into force in November, 2003.
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Bihar, Manipur and Nagaland are the other states with similar prohibition laws. While Bihar accounts for 69,124 cases reported under the Prohibition Act, a minisicule 124 were registered in Nagaland, while Manipur has no such cases under the act.
Earlier this month, in view of the Ahmedabad hooch tragedy in which 42 persons were killed, Gujarat Director General of Police Ashish Bhatia had stated that 2,52,071 persons were arrested between January 2021 and July 2022 in the state under the Prohibition Law.
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