Appeal filed against NDPS court judgment
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, April 30 2022:
The 3.5 Collective has commended authorities concerned for finally filing the much awaited appeal against the judgment of NDPS court which acquitted Lukhosei Zou and 11 others despite Over whelming evidence on record of their involvement in drug trafficking.
Manipur government had filed the appeal on April 26 against the NDPS court judgment in special trial case No 100 of 2018 passed on December 17, 2020 .
In a statement, The 3.5 Collective hoped to see a copy of the appeal once the same is deposited to the Supreme Court.
It may be noted that members of The 3.5 Collective have filed an SLP (Crii) Diary No 2645/2921 challenging the said NDPS court judgment as well the judgment of the High Court of Manipur refusing to grant the 'leave of appeal' against the judgment on the ground that the petitioners are not 'victim' and therefore do not have the right to file an appeal.
Nevertheless, the apex court has decided to look into the definition of 'victim' in the context of the notorious crime drug trafficking.
The 3.5 Collective further said that apex court's exercise will help in expanding the narrow definition of 'victim' in the criminal law of India to the definition as envisaged in the UN Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power, 1985.If done so, the drug users and their families, who have been suffering untold miseries due to the menace of drug, will be entitled to play their due role in the criminal prosecution of drug traffickers.
It is an unfortunate reality that there is almost zero conviction in all the drug haul cases making the 'War on Drugs' of the state chief minister and 'Nasa Mukta Bharat' of the Prime Minister merely empty slogans.
It also said that involving drug users and their families in prosecution of drug traffickers is the missing link to win these 'war' and 'Abhiyan' .