Expressing grave concern over the safety of school and college students, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports highlighting the rampant sale of drugs, cigarettes, and e-cigarettes outside educational institutions.
A division bench comprising Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Y G Khobragade, while hearing the matter on June 20, observed that the contents of the news articles were “disturbing” and revealed a troubling trend of vendors targeting young students with banned and addictive substances.
“Young students of an impressionable age are enticed into consumption of such drugs and cigarettes, virtually opening the path towards addiction and their physical destruction,” the bench remarked in a strongly worded order.
Taking a proactive stance, the court directed the police in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) to take immediate and sincere action to curb the illegal sale of these substances near educational campuses. “Police must act in the true spirit of their duty to ensure that the youth of this nation are not lured into addiction,” the bench noted.
To facilitate long-term institutional response, the court appointed senior advocate P R Katneshwarkar as amicus curiae and instructed him to file a proper Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the matter. The court stated that such a PIL would enable it to issue detailed and binding directions to concerned authorities.
