Kerala High Court Calls For Action Plan Against Rampant Drug Use Among Youth & School Children In State
The Kerala High Court was considering a Writ Petition filed by the mother of two school going children raising the issue of increasing trend of drug abuse among school children and college going youth.
Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar, Justice C Jayachandran, Kerala High Court
The Kerala High Court, while ordering personal appearance of the Commissioner of Police, Ernakulam City with a Plan of Action, has observed that the city has the highest number of cases of drug abuse among school students and youth in general.
The Court was considering a Writ Petition filed by the mother of two school going children raising the issue of increasing trend of drug abuse among school children and college going youth.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice C Jayachandran observed, "Taking note of the fact that the highest number of cases are reported from the Ernakulam City, at present, the enquiry in this petition can focus on the issue of drug abuse among school and college students in Ernakulam City. For lack of any material placed before us, we will have to request the Commissioner of Police, Ernakulam City to assist the Court by appearing either physically or virtually during the next hearing and share with the Court the plan of action the Commissioner proposes to implement as regards the city of Ernakulam and whether any detailed study is carried out."
The Petitioner was represented by Advocate Roshen D. Alexander while the Respondent was represented by State Attorney N. Manoj Kumar.
The Petitioner had placed various statistics based on the information collected by her and sought directions to the Respondent Authorities to take steps to curb the spread of drug abuse.
The Court looked into the affidavit filed by the Deputy Secretary, Home Department, wherein only the figures of the cases registered against the children in various districts have been enumerated. The table showed district-wise cases registered against the children below 18 years for usage of drugs indicating that the highest number in the State is in Ernakulam City, with 53 cases from the year 2015 to 2024.
The Court stressed that in the absence of any other data, a focused study is required to ascertain the regional trend and the reasons behind the use; only then can effective measures be taken.
The Petition was accordingly posted for July 23, 2025.
Cause Title: Kerala State Legal Services Authority vs. The State of Kerala
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