CURRENT AFFAIRS | 20 MAY 2026
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on 19 May 2026 led a padayatra in Pulwama under the Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyan, marking the 100-day milestone of an enforcement-plus-mobilisation drive launched on 11 April 2026. Since the launch, J&K Police have arrested ~800 drug traffickers and peddlers, impounded passports of 18 traffickers, cancelled driving licences of 382, seized 386 vehicles, and demolished 49 illegally-acquired properties valued at Rs 1.7 crore. Sinha invoked imagery from the soil: “We will hunt down drug smugglers even in paatal.”
NDPS Framework, UAPA Linkage & J&K L-G Powers
- NDPS Act, 1985: Section 8 (general prohibition), Section 20 (cannabis-related), Section 25 (allowing premises for offence). Section 27A makes financing illicit traffic a punishable offence (10-20 years).
- PIT-NDPS Act, 1988: Allows preventive detention for up to 2 years without trial of habitual offenders/financiers — relevant for properties attached under Sec 68-O.
- UAPA, 1967: Section 25 empowers the Designated Authority to seize and freeze proceeds of terrorism — invoked where narco-funds finance militancy.
- Article 47 (Directive Principles): State duty to bring about prohibition of intoxicating drugs injurious to health.
- J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019: Police remains a UT subject controlled by the L-G under Section 32 — distinct from the State List arrangement in Schedule 7 List II for full States.
CLAT Angle — Narco-Terrorism & Preventive Detention
This is fertile ground for a Legal Reasoning passage on presumption of culpable mental state under NDPS Sec 35 (reverse burden on accused) and a Polity question on the L-G’s discretionary powers in a UT with a legislature. Expect a question pairing Article 22 (preventive detention safeguards) with the J&K-specific PSA, 1978 — still in force.
Key Facts (100-Day Drive Snapshot)
| Metric | Number |
|---|---|
| Traffickers/peddlers arrested (since 11 Apr) | ~800 |
| Passports impounded | 18 |
| Driving licences cancelled | 382 |
| Vehicles seized | 386 |
| Properties demolished / value | 49 / Rs 1.7 cr |
| Properties linked & identified | 45 |
Mnemonic — “P-A-S-S”
Passports impounded · Arrests cross 800 · Seizure of 386 vehicles · Structures demolished (49).
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.
