The Manipur Human Rights Commission (MHRC) on Thursday directed the secretary (Law) and special secretary (Home) to produce a detailed report and copy of the ordinance which was allegedly passed as an amendment ordinance to Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Act by the state cabinet on October 15.
The directive to submit the report and copy before the commission on November 2 was given after examining a complaint lodged by the executive director of Human Rights Alert, Babloo Loitongbam, which was reported by various newspapers in the capital .
The complaint stated that if the ordinance is enforced, it will be discriminatory and a violation of the basic human rights of the drug users by treating them as drug traffickers.
If the drug users are punished for their possession of drugs even of the smallest quantity for personal consumption/de-addiction treatment as proposed in the said ordinance which stated "any person found in the possession of drugs whether 1 milligram or 100 kilogram will have to face two to four years imprisonment and fine of up to Rs I lakh", then the law shall amount to discrimination, arbitrariness and unreasonableness thereby violating Articles 14 and 2l of the Indian Constitution, it said.
The order passed by the commission stated that the said ordinance is most likely to violate the basic human rights of drug users who now have to be reasonably classified for their protection, de-addiction and treatment within the purview of Articles 14 and 2l.
The said ordinance has to be examined in the light of Article 13(3) (a) of the Indian Constitution as to whether it shall violate the basic human rights of drug users, said the commission’s order. The commission further fixed November 2 for the next proceeding of the case.
