Bigger sharks not being caught: CJI raises alarm over Punjab drug menace
3 min readNew DelhiMay 9, 2026 06:28 AM IST
As a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, CJI Kant had passed several orders to tackle the menace. The CJI recalled Friday for his intervention, he had received “threats” from some “nasty people”. Flagging the “alarming” rise in cases of drug trafficking and use in Punjab, the Supreme Court on Friday slammed the state government for failing to check the menace and cautioned that the “situation is going out of hand”. “In Punjab, the condition is terrible. There are instances now surfacing in public domain … an old woman, more than 60 years … crying because she lost her 5th son to drug addiction. All of her 5 children have died, one after the other. Look at the plight of that mother. This is the second instance that has happened in the last 2 weeks. What is the State doing?,” Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said while suggesting that there can be a Central agency to monitor drugs-related cases on a pan-India level.The bench also comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi made the comments as it took up a suo motu case for creation of exclusive courts across the country for faster disposal of trials under special statutes like the UAPA and the NDPS Act. The CJI said while police nab small-level peddlers for publicity, it fails to catch the “bigger sharks” involved. He said, “Today, I don’t want to comment on your police functioning. They need to be sensitised. Whom they are picking up and whom they are letting off — it’s known to everyone. So please do something…” Expressing alarm on the increase in cases, the CJI
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