Kerala HC directs State government to operationalise NDPS special courts

The Kerala High Court has directed the State fovernment to operationalise within three months two special courts at Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi to try NDPS cases, along with three new Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) courts at Palakkad, Thrissur and Manjeri.

The directive came while considering a suo motu plea the court initiated, regarding the high pendency of NDPS cases in the State.

The court had in September 2025 sought instructions from the Central and State governments on the need to establish more NDPS special courts in Kerala, to hear narcotics-related cases. The court was hearing a batch of petitions, seeking effective measures by the State government to curb the use of narcotics. Under the NDPS Act, the State government is empowered to constitute special courts for the trial of offences under the Act.