Get arrested, secure bail, repeat crime; Kerala bearing the brunt

Crime rates are bound to go down if the law works effectively, like handing over punishments without dragging on the process for aeons. A culprit arrested for a crime, awaiting trial for years and later securing bail will have no difficulty or sense of remorse in committing the same crime again. Sociologists remark on a dangerous trend seeping all across Kerala, and it is the frightening increase in drug use. In particular, the sale of chemical drugs has increased the most. This means that the buyers for the banned drugs are surging. Not a day passes without a vernacular paper reporting on a murder or a crime associated with rampant drug use.

Excise is taking new steps in coordination with 16 government departments to curb the rampant spread of drugs. This is mainly to prevent the sale of drugs centred around educational institutions. In addition, Excise's de-addiction centres are also operating to help people get rid of drugs. Although several programs are being implemented against the spread of drugs, from awareness to rehabilitation, the statistics show that nothing has changed for good. The reason may be the loosely-knit law setup that helps the accused secure easy bail only to continue with the crime.

The trial of 529 drug cases in the state was delayed due to the unavailability of forensic test results. This is the figure collected by the registry from various courts as per the instructions of the High Court. The observation of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice C. Jayachandran pointing out the delay in trial leading to the criminals getting bail and repeating the crime is plain truth. The court has directed PSC to convene a joint meeting to resolve the shortage of staff in forensic labs.

The court had earlier asked the government to inform about the number of vacancies in the labs, but the response has not yet reached the court. There is no dearth of candidates eligible for positions in labs in Kerala. The delay in reporting the vacancies and the non-appointment of new employees are the obstacles.

Due to the delay in the forensic report, 418 cases are pending in the district sessions courts, 94 in the special courts and 17 in the magistrate courts. Urgent steps must be taken to prevent the spread of drug abuse, a serious problem now affecting society.