Bare Act
The Prevention of Illicit Traffic Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988
This law empowers the Indian government to order the preventive detention of individuals, including foreign nationals, to prevent them from engaging in the illegal drug trade. It applies across India to anyone involved in cultivating, manufacturing, possessing, transporting, selling, financing, or harbouring activities related to narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The law matters because drug trafficking poses a severe threat to public health and security, requiring executive authority to temporarily detain suspects without standard immediate trials. To prevent abuse, it sets clear detention limits, establishes independent advisory boards to review cases, and safeguards individual rights under constitutional provisions.
- 1. Short title, extent and commencement.
- 2. Definitions.
- 3. Power to make orders detaining certain persons.
- 4. Execution of detention orders.
- 5. Power to regulate place and conditions of detention.
- 6. Grounds of detention severable.
- 7. Detention orders not to be invalid or inoperative on certain grounds.
- 8. Powers in relation to absconding persons.
- 9. Advisory Boards.
- 10. Cases in which and circumstances under which persons may be detained for periods longer
- 11. Maximum period of detention.
- 12. Revocation of detention orders.
- 13. Temporary release of persons detained.
- 14. Protection of action taken in good faith.
- 15. Central Government or a State Government and no suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie against any person for anything in good faith done or intended to be done in pursuance of this Act.
- 16. Repeal and saving.
PDF: pending for this language.