The Punjab Cabinet on Saturday approved the establishment of 35 exclusive special National Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) courts to expedite the disposal of drug-related cases and clear the mounting backlog. The decision was taken at a meeting of Council of Ministers chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, Punjab registers around 20,000 NDPS cases and makes approximately 27,000 arrests every year. Of these cases, nearly 12,000 are tried by Sessions Courts, while only about 5,700 are disposed of annually. As a result, 52,577 NDPS cases were pending in the state as on August 31, 2026, with the average disposal time stretching to around eight years.

“The Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had assessed the requirement for additional exclusive special NDPS courts to clear the backlog over the next five to seven years.…