Punjab Gives Senior Cops PIT-NDPS Detention Powers a Day After Shah's Rapਸ਼ਾਹ ਦੀ ਝਾੜ ਤੋਂ ਇੱਕ ਦਿਨ ਬਾਅਦ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੇ ਸੀਨੀਅਰ ਪੁਲਿਸ ਅਫ਼ਸਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਪੀਆਈਟੀ-ਐਨਡੀਪੀਐਸ ਹਿਰਾਸਤ ਦੀ ਤਾਕਤ

The Punjab government has delegated preventive-detention powers against drug traffickers to its senior police officers, a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Punjab had not used a stringent anti-narcotics law, The Tribune and The Times of India reported on 23 October 2026. A notification issued by the Home Affairs department on 21 October covers the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act, 1988.

What does the notification change?

According to The Tribune, police commissioners, Inspector Generals and officers of Additional DGP rank and above can now order preventive detention of drug smugglers for a specified period. Earlier, only the state Home Secretary held this authority. Encounter News reported that six named IPS officers, from a Special DGP to an IG, are specially empowered in units where no IG-rank officer is posted, and that the DGP will allocate their jurisdictions.

Why now?

On 20 October, Shah said at a Ludhiana press conference that 929 cases had been registered under the Act across India while Punjab had registered none, The Tribune reported. The paper added that sources said the state had ordered preventive detention in seven cases till last month. The state government has not linked the notification to Shah's remarks, and Encounter News noted the order does not mention the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota.

How will it work on the ground?

An ADGP-rank officer told The Tribune that approvals used to take months. Under the new order, warrants can be executed at district and commissionerate level with the consent of an IG-rank officer or above. Police have been told to use the powers in "good spirit". A senior official said a 20-item checklist for proposing detention remains hard to meet and urged fresh, simpler procedures.

What is the PIT-NDPS Act?

It lets authorities detain a person to prevent them from trafficking in narcotics. Once an order is issued, illegally acquired property of the person, relatives and associates can be seized, frozen and forfeited, the Tribune explained. Encounter News stressed that it is separate from ordinary criminal cases under the NDPS Act, 1985.

Who can now order preventive detention in Punjab?

Police commissioners and range IGs, plus officers of Additional DGP rank and above, and six named IPS officers where no IG is posted.

Did Punjab use the PIT-NDPS Act before?

Shah said it had registered none. The Tribune reported, citing sources, that detention was ordered in seven cases till last month.

How long can someone be detained?

Times Now and TV9 Punjabi reported detention of up to three months, a figure the Tribune did not state.