Tripura Drug Trade Under Scanner: High Court Seeks Name of ‘Higher Authority’ in Alleged Police Interference
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, February 28, 2026
Serious questions have once again surfaced in Tripura over alleged links between sections of the police and the thriving narcotics trade, with the matter now reaching the High Court. For years, allegations have circulated that certain politicians, senior police and administrative officials have been shielding key drug traffickers, raising concerns about why major kingpins often evade arrest while smaller operatives are apprehended.
The latest controversy centers around an NDPS case in Kamalpur, where an investigating officer allegedly altered the course of investigation and submitted additional documents directly to the High Court, bypassing the trial court. The move has triggered strong judicial scrutiny.
The High Court of Tripura has taken exception to what it termed a violation of procedural hierarchy. The court questioned how the Investigating Officer (IO) submitted an additional charge sheet directly before the High Court without informing the concerned NDPS trial court. The IO reportedly claimed that he acted under the instructions of a “higher authority.”
Taking the matter seriously, the High Court has directed the District Superintendent of Police of Dhalai District to conduct an inquiry into the role of the superior officer allegedly involved. Significantly, the court has also sought to know the identity of the “higher authority” whose instructions were cited by the IO in justifying his actions.
Legal observers say the development is significant because it directly touches upon longstanding public concerns in Tripura- why alleged drug kingpins or principal accused in narcotics cases often remain untouched, while lower-level carriers are arrested and charge-sheeted. There have been repeated allegations that certain senior officers at the top level of the police hierarchy intervene in investigations to dilute cases or facilitate relief for influential accused persons.
In the present case, the NDPS trial court had earlier issued a show-cause notice to the Investigating Officer, asking why he submitted the charge sheet before the High Court without prior intimation to the trial court. The High Court’s intervention has now widened the scope of inquiry beyond procedural lapses to potential misuse of authority at senior levels.
The court has reportedly asked the Superintendent of Police to identify and report the name of the senior police officer whose directions allegedly led to the change in investigation strategy and submission of disputed information before the High Court.
The episode has intensified debate in Tripura over accountability within the police headquarters, especially in narcotics cases. Civil society groups and legal experts argue that unless the alleged nexus between segments of the enforcement machinery and drug traffickers is transparently investigated, public confidence in anti-drug operations will remain fragile.
With the High Court now directly seeking the identity of the senior officer involved, the coming weeks are expected to be crucial in determining whether the inquiry leads to structural accountabilityor remains confined to individual procedural lapses.
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