The Kerala High Court has flagged serious concerns over rising drug abuse among school and college students, with Ernakulam City recording the highest number of such cases involving minors over the past decade.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice C Jayachandran was hearing two connected petitions — one by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KELSA) and another by a concerned mother of two school-going children — both seeking urgent intervention in addressing the alarming trend of drug use among youth.
According to the affidavit filed by the State Home Department, 53 drug-related cases involving children below 18 years were registered in Ernakulam City between 2015 and 2024, the highest among all districts. However, the Court criticized the affidavit for merely listing numbers without offering any analytical insight, patterns, or explanations.
The Bench noted:
“No meaningful inference or regional patterns based on age, locality, or other key factors are available. Without such a focused study, effective countermeasures will remain elusive.”
The Court directed the Commissioner of Police, Ernakulam City, to prepare and submit a detailed action plan to tackle the issue. It also asked the Commissioner to consider independent data collected by the petitioner while formulating the strategy.
The Court further expressed concern over vacant positions of Special Public Prosecutors and forensic experts, which are causing delays in POCSO and NDPS trials. It directed the Registrar (District Judiciary) to submit a status report on pending NDPS cases affected by delayed forensic reports.
The matter is posted for further hearing on July 23.