HC dismisses plea against CCTVs, computerised billing advisory

Srinagar, May 8:  The High Court of J&K and Ladakh Thursday dismissed a plea challenging an advisory by the government, asking the retail pharmacies and wholesale drug outlets to install CCTV cameras and abide by a fully computerised billing system in Jammu and Kashmir.

Dismissing the petition, a bench of Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul observed that the advisory helps check the purchase of prohibited drugs and would serve a purpose for the benefit of the public at large.

The petition filed by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists had claimed that the advisory was coming heavily in the way of the conduct of the business by the druggists and was thus impacting the chemists.

“It is not understandable how petitioners are aggrieved by the advisory so far as it directs retail pharmacies and/or wholesale drug outlets of UT of J&K to install CCTV cameras and adopt a fully computerised billing system,” the court said.

The Court noted that the purpose of issuing such an advisory is aiming at check and prevent the sale of prohibited drugs used for drug abuse by drug addicts and drug traffickers, who buy it from medical shops and stores.

The court said that the installation of CCTV cameras would help in identifying such drug abusers and quell such practices, besides maintaining computerised bills.

While the court observed that the consequences of drug use usually are not limited to users and often extend to the user’s family and the greater community, it said: “The consequences of illicit drug use impact the entire criminal justice system, taxing resources at each stage of the release supervision process”.

The illicit use of the drug also impacts productivity besides causing premature mortality, illness, injury, leading to incapacitation and imprisonment, all serve to directly reduce national productivity, the court said.

The court said that public financial resources expended in the areas of health care and criminal justice as a result of illegal drug trafficking and use are resources which could otherwise be available for other policy initiatives.

The court underscored that the global drug problem presents a multifaceted challenge that touches the lives of millions worldwide.

Moreover, it said that from individuals struggling with substance use disorders to communities grappling with the consequences of drug trafficking and organised crime, the impact of drugs is far-reaching and complex.