# Punjab and Haryana High Court summons Haryana DGP over police witness no-show in NDPS trials 2026-08-20T01:56:33+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Haryana Director General of Police to personally appear and explain why police witnesses in NDPS cases repeatedly fail to attend trial despite warrants. Justice Sumeet Goel termed this a "systemic lapse" and "abdication of duty" that frustrates the constitutional right to a speedy trial under Article 21. The court noted that the conduct of state employees erodes public confidence in justice and emboldens criminal elements. The order came while hearing the second bail petition of Prem Singh, in custody since January 24, 2025. None of the 19 prosecution witnesses, all police officials, had been examined, with bailable and even non-bailable warrants remaining unexecuted for extended periods. The court granted Singh interim regular bail, ruling that the stringent bail conditions under Section 37 of the NDPS Act cannot justify indefinite incarceration caused by state delays. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Punjab and Haryana High Court's summons to the Haryana DGP marks an escalation in judicial frustration over trial delays under the NDPS Act. Under Section 37 of the Act, bail is severely restricted for commercial-quantity cases, yet the court held that indefinite incarceration cannot follow when the state itself stalls the trial. The real burden falls on undertrials, many of whom are from poor or marginalised backgrounds, who spend months or years in jail awaiting testimony from police witnesses. The court's next step, the DGP's personal appearance and explanation, will determine if systemic reforms follow or if this remains a one-off warning. Watch for the Haryana government's response and whether the DGP files a compliance report before the next hearing. ## Coverage - livelaw.in Led with court's strong 'abdication of duty' language and attributed quotes verbatim, no additional slant beyond reproducing judicial criticism This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Haryana Police, Justice Sumeet Goel, NDPS Act, Prem Singh, Punjab and Haryana High Court Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/punjab-and-haryana-high-court-summons-haryana-dgp-over-police-witness-no-show-in-ndps-trials/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/punjab-and-haryana-high-court-summons-haryana-dgp-over-police-witness-no-show-in-ndps-trials/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/