Agartala, Mar 23 (PTI) Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Monday informed the Assembly that the northeastern state has recorded a 3.06 per cent conviction rate under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act over the past three years.
Replying to a written question by Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman, the CM said law enforcement agencies had filed a total of 2,979 charge-sheets under the NDPS Act during 2023-25, of which only 99 accused were convicted by trial courts.
Saha said the state government has constituted an Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) to effectively handle cases registered under the NDPS Act, and its officers have undergone specialised training to ensure proper investigation.
Raising concern over the low conviction rate, Barman pointed to alleged loopholes in the investigation process that, he said, were leading to acquittals.
“Police have failed to arrest the kingpins of drug rackets and only carriers are being arrested in connection with such cases. I urge the CM to install scanning facilities at all places where parcels and packets are booked”, he said.
Asserting that the government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards drugs menace, Saha said the main reason for the low conviction rate was the lack of witnesses.
“In murder cases also, witnesses often turn hostile, reducing the merit of the charge-sheets. The same thing is happening in drug-related cases, giving scope to the accused to be set free due to lack of solid witnesses,” he said.
He added that several cases are still pending before trial courts and expressed hope that the conviction rate would improve once they are disposed of. PTI PS MNB
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