Bengaluru: Even as the Karnataka government intensifies its fight against narcotics through initiatives such as Operation RISE (Refuse, Inform, Support, Empower) and Beda Bro (Let’s Refuse, Bro), conviction rates under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act have declined, exposing weaknesses in investigations and prosecution.
State police data shows that convictions dropped sharply from 4,148 cases in 2023 to 2,078 in 2024, before recovering slightly to 2,600 in 2025. In the first five months of 2026, 730 convictions have been recorded.
Procedural lapses weaken prosecution
Senior police officials attribute the decline to technical errors during investigations, particularly in the seizure of contraband and inadequate understanding of legal procedures during court trials.
Two Bengaluru cases have highlighted these shortcomings. In one case, a city court acquitted a man accused of possessing 100 ecstasy tablets after ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the charges. In another, an accused arrested with alleged LSD strips was acquitted after the court found that the evidence did not establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Courts noted several procedural lapses, including personal searches conducted without the mandatory presence of a magistrate or gazetted officer, improper maintenance of official records and deficiencies in documenting raids and seizures.
Legal experts said such deviations from mandatory provisions of the NDPS Act often weaken the prosecution’s case, leading to acquittals.
Government plans stronger enforcement
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) R. Hitendra said convictions are relatively higher in cases involving drug consumers but remain low in cases against peddlers due to investigative shortcomings.
He noted that investigators often fail to trace the larger drug networks and that technical lapses during investigations further affect successful prosecution.
Home Minister Priyank Kharge said the government’s strategy goes beyond policing and focuses on both reducing the supply of drugs and curbing demand.
He said Karnataka will strengthen intelligence-led enforcement, improve NDPS investigations, enhance forensic and judicial support, expand rehabilitation and testing facilities, and improve coordination among 11 government departments to dismantle drug trafficking networks.
Drug seizures remain high
Despite the fall in convictions, enforcement agencies have continued to seize large quantities of narcotics.
Police data shows that drugs worth ₹216.93 crore were seized in 2025, while seizures worth ₹184.72 crore have already been recorded in the first five months of 2026.
During the same period, authorities booked 9,064 accused in 2025 and 6,651 so far in 2026. Police also apprehended 2,611 peddlers in 2025 and 1,406 till May 2026, while cases were registered against 6,455 consumers in 2025 and 5,090 this year.
Director General and Inspector General of Police M. A. Saleem said traffickers are adopting new smuggling methods, with drugs entering Karnataka from other states and abroad, making intelligence gathering crucial to disrupting the supply chain.