Kerala High Court Permits NDPS Accused to Travel Abroad for Job
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Synopsis
The Kerala High Court has ruled in favor of a 24-year-old accused in a NDPS case, allowing him to travel abroad for employment as his trial is expected to take an extended period to conclude.
Key Takeaways
- Kerala High Court allows travel for employment.
- The case has been pending since 2019.
- Approximately 41,531 NDPS cases in Kerala.
- Ernakulum leads in registered cases.
- Petitioner granted bail in March 2019.
Kochi, Feb 4 (NationPress) The Kerala High Court has intervened for a 24-year-old man, the fourth accused in a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances case, by allowing him to travel abroad for employment since the trial is expected to be lengthy.
The allegations against this young individual were filed in 2018, and the case has been awaiting resolution in a lower court since 2019.
The High Court considered the report from a lower court judge indicating that a minimum of two years would be necessary to resolve the case.
“This court believes that if the case will take two years to resolve, it would be unfair to prevent the petitioner from the chance to earn a living abroad,” the court noted.
Furthermore, the court instructed the lower court to allow him to travel.
The petitioner stated that he was granted bail in March 2019 and had requested the trial court's permission to travel abroad for work, which was denied.
Following this, the petitioner sought relief from the high court and received a positive ruling.
Upon reviewing a report from the lower court, the high court discovered that there are currently 4,000 cases pending, with over 1,000 cases more than five years old.
Notably, approximately 41,531 NDPS cases were recorded in Kerala in the 15-month period concluding in June 2024.
Ernakulum leads the region with over 6,000 cases, followed by Malappuram (5,906 cases) and Kozhikode (5,385 cases). The district with the fewest NDPS cases is Pathanamthitta, with only 291 cases.
