Hyderabad: PD Act not a deterrent to habitual drug offenders

Hyderabad: The Preventive Detention Act also known as PD Act is a law that is invoked by the police on habitual and notorious offenders to keep them locked in jail for a period of one year. The Act is invoked against culprits because they are believed to be a threat to society, as said by the police always, while invoking the Act.

Though the Act was recently in the eye of storm as the Apex Court had observed that the police cannot just book anyone under the Act, but the police has a way to present their case before the court.

It has been seen that the Act is not acting as a deterrent to habitual drug offenders. As the city police is seen to be coming down heavily on drug peddlers it is found that most of them are habitual offenders; they were also booked under the PD Act earlier. Despite being booked under the PD Act a couple of times, the habitual offenders still continue to carry on with their illegal activities.

An officer, who wished to remain anonymous said, "the PD Act is booked against culprits who are habitual offenders. The Act is applied against any person/individual with intent that the person might change his behaviour and mend his way of living after being released in society. It happens in most cases, but of late it is observed that many drug peddlers caught in the recent drive against drugs are habitual offenders; they have been booked earlier in the PD Act."

An advocate, Chandrasekhar Reddy, noted, "the PD Act is a severe punishment to any common man. But to a habitual offender it is not a serious punishment. The preventive detention is the most contentious part of the fundamental rights under Article 22(3), as it provides that if the person arrested or detained under PD laws the protection against arrest and detention provided under Article 22 (1) and 22 (2) shall not be available to that person."

"Also, in the recent drive against drugs, it was seen that the arrested persons had a criminal background of going to jail under the PD Act and it is not acting as deterrent to habitual offenders. The laws related to habitual offenders must be amended to bring real change in society," Reddy added.