Any Activity Endangering Public Health Through Spread of Narcotics Strikes at Root of Societal Stability: Telangana High Court
The Telangana High Court has upheld a preventive detention order against a woman accused of repeated ganja peddling. A Division Bench of Justices Moushumi Bhattacharya and Gadi Praveen Kumar observed that activities threatening public health and safety — particularly the distribution of narcotic substances — strike at the very foundation of societal stability.
The woman had been involved in multiple offences in 2024, connected with the sale of nearly 24 kilograms of ganja. The Court noted that despite being prosecuted earlier, she continued engaging in the same illegal trade, thereby creating a grave threat to youth safety and public order.
The bench further emphasized that protecting public health is a constitutional obligation under Articles 21 and 47 of the Indian Constitution. It stated that narcotics-related crimes have deep social and moral impacts, damaging not only individuals but also the structure of families and communities.
While dismissing the habeas corpus petition filed by the detenu’s family, the Court acknowledged the petitioner’s personal circumstances but clarified that individual liberty cannot outweigh the welfare of society as a whole.
The Court concluded that the preventive detention order was justified, as repeated engagement in drug trafficking posed a serious danger to public peace and health.
