The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked a Amritsar-based company and its directors in connection with the alleged seizure of 12 lakh “Tramadol” tablets by drug inspectors in 2019.
Tramadol is a pain suppressant and resilience booster drug.
The case has been instituted against Ravenbhel Pharmaceutical Private Limited and its directors under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, following a directive from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
In its order dated August 2, the court expressed surprise that despite the recovery of such a large consignment of Tramadol, the authorities had earlier registered a case only under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. The NDPS Act provisions were not invoked.
On April 26, 2018, the Department of Revenue had issued a notification, adding Tramadol as a psychotropic substance to the NDPS Act schedule.
Increased acquittals
The order observed that there were increasing number of cases in Punjab wherein primarily the carriers of drug were arrested by the police under the NDPS Act, but the suppliers or source of acquiring drugs in majority of the cases would not come to the fore, which led to acquittal in many cases.
In the present case, the Court said there was a recovery of 12 lakh Tramadol tablets, but the State authorities in their affidavits had not given the current status of the seized stock, which was a serious lapse and inaction on the part of agencies concerned.
Transferring the case to the CBI, the Court directed the agency to ensure that the entire contraband recovered from Ravenbhel Pharmaceuticals was handed over to it and in case there was any shortage, the CBI would investigate whether the same was misused for implicating any innocent person in any other case under the NDPS Act.
In case of any shortage, the CBI would prepare an inventory giving all the necessary details and would also check with the forensic science laboratory in the State to determine if the Tramadol tablets of the same batch number were involved in any other case in the State to find out whether any innocent person was falsely implicated.
If the CBI comes across such a case, it may check the records of any police station or publish a notice sharing the batch number and name of the manufacturers so as to enable the defence counsels in different cases to know about it and to take appropriate recourse before the court.
The agency has to file a status report in the court within 10 weeks from the date of order.
