Telangana DCA’s landmark first direct arrests raise sustainability concerns

Telangana’s DCA made its first direct arrests in a spurious drugs case, a move hailed as historic. However, experts raised concerns about its sustainability due to poor manpower, lack of protection, and administrative support for DCA officers handling such cases

Hyderabad: In a significant first for Telangana, officers from the state’s Drug Control Administration (DCA) directly arrested two individuals who were allegedly involved in dealing with spurious drugs. These arrests on July 26 had sector experts hailing it as a significant development, while also raising concerns about its sustainability.

This shift by DCA means the police are no longer required to file FIRs, make arrests, prosecute or investigate such cases. Instead, their role primarily will be to provide assistance to DCA officers when needed.

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Following the arrests, the alleged offenders were produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Nampally, which subsequently ordered a 14-day judicial remand.

The DCA was implementing an August 2020 Supreme Court order, which empowers them to make such arrests for cognizable offences falling under Chapter IV of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Police, however, cannot register FIRs, arrest or investigate in regard to cognizable offences that solely fall under Chapter IV of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

Is it sustainable?

While many have welcomed DCA’s proactive nature, sector experts have expressed concerns about the sustainability of such measures.

National President, Drugs Control Officers (I) Welfare Association, G Koteshwar Rao, said the DCA in Telangana is woefully short of manpower and every officer works under intense pressure.

“They are expected to conduct raids, make arrests, seize spurious and counterfeit drugs, and simultaneously manage their office duties, including clerical work like photocopying files, opening office locks, and even driving their own vehicles. How can they possibly sustain this in the long term?” he asks.

Koteshwar Rao, himself a veteran police officer, highlights that not a single DCA officer in Telangana is adequately protected from physical harm or receives sufficient administrative support.

“What if a rogue element involved in manufacturing spurious or counterfeit drugs decides to physically attack the DCA officers? Typically, a DCA officer in a district needs a superintendent, clerk and an attender to ensure smooth workflow, which unfortunately is not available,” he says.