The Kerala High Court has issued a sharp wake-up call after data revealed that Ernakulam city tops the state in drug abuse cases involving children and youth. With numbers spanning nearly a decade and a conspicuous absence of actionable insight, the Court warned that Kerala’s current response amounts to shooting in the dark.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice C Jayachandran was hearing two pleas — one by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KELSA), the other by a mother worried about the rising grip of narcotics on school students. Both petitions sounded alarm bells about the creeping normalization of drug use among minors, and both met the Court’s concern head-on.
The data submitted by the State Home Department painted a grim picture: from 2015 to 2024, Ernakulam City reported 53 drug abuse cases involving children under 18 — the highest in Kerala. But beyond this stark figure, the Court found a disturbing void.
“There is no attempt to analyze the data in terms of locality, age groups, or reasons behind the drug usage,” the judges noted. “Without this, we are operating blind.”
The Court wasn’t impressed with the lack of effort to dig deeper. It emphasized the urgent need for a targeted study to identify regional trends and vulnerabilities, calling it the only way to craft effective interventions.
In response, the Bench directed the Ernakulam Police Commissioner to submit a detailed action plan to combat the crisis in the city. The petitioner mother, who had independently compiled data to highlight the problem, was instructed to share her findings with the Commissioner as well.
The Court also reignited concerns flagged earlier in KELSA’s petition — namely, the serious lag in appointing Special Public Prosecutors and scientific staff for the State’s forensic labs. The delay, it noted, was crippling not only trials under the POCSO Act but also those under the NDPS Act, which governs narcotics offenses.
To untangle the logjam, the Court ordered the Registrar (District Judiciary) to furnish a report on NDPS trials currently stalled due to forensic delays. It also tasked the State Government and the Public Service Commission with coming up with a plan to ensure such bottlenecks don’t become systemic.
“We’re not here to debate affidavits,” the judges said, “but to address the fallout. Vacancies that impact justice in such cases cannot be left unfilled indefinitely.”
The matter is now scheduled for further hearing on July 23.
