# Punjab sets up 35 special NDPS courts to clear 52,577 drug case backlog

2026-10-31T18:46:26+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets (4 source reports)

The Punjab Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Saturday, 31 October 2026, approved the establishment of 35 exclusive special NDPS courts to tackle a backlog of 52,577 drug-related cases. The state registers about 20,000 NDPS cases and makes around 27,000 arrests annually, but only about 5,700 cases are disposed of each year, pushing the average disposal time to nearly eight years, the Chief Minister’s Office said. The Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had assessed the need for additional courts to clear the backlog over five to seven years. The first phase will see 35 courts set up, with 385 new posts including 35 Additional District and Sessions Judges, 315 support staff, and 35 Assistant District Attorneys. An estimated Rs 75 crore has been sanctioned for the initiative, including infrastructure costs. Existing designated courts will continue until the new courts are fully operational. The Cabinet also approved other decisions, including raising the road budget by Rs 283.44 crore and allotting land for a compressed biogas plant at Samgauli village.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All three outlets, Indian Express, CNBC TV18 and Times Now, published near-identical wire copy from the Chief Minister’s Office, reporting the same figures: 52,577 pending cases, Rs 75 crore sanctioned, and 385 new posts. The framing is uniformly neutral-report, with no outlet adding independent scrutiny, critical commentary or sourcing beyond the official statement. Times Now’s headline called the move a ‘historic step’, a mild promotional note, but the body text remains factual. The story leaves open how quickly the 35 courts will be operational and whether the Rs 75 crore outlay will be sufficient against the eight-year average disposal time cited.

## Coverage

Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
- indianexpress.com (neutral report) <https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-cabinet-approves-35-special-ndps-courts-drug-cases-backlog-road-budget-hike-bhagwant-mann-harpal-cheema-10945211/>
  Wire copy from CMO, no independent analysis or criticism
- Syndicated copy <https://www.cnbctv18.com/india/punjab-government-to-set-up-35-special-ndps-courts-to-fast-track-drug-cases-20024168.htm>
- cnbctv18.com <https://www.cnbctv18.com/india/punjab-government-to-set-up-35-special-ndps-courts-to-fast-track-drug-cases-20024168.htm>
  Same official figures, no editorial slant
- timesnownews.com <https://www.timesnownews.com/india/bhagwant-mann-govt-takes-historic-step-to-fast-track-drug-cases-35-exclusive-special-ndps-courts-to-be-set-up-article-156443279>
  Headline uses 'historic step' but body is factual

This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry.
Update, 1 November 2026: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-10-31T18:56:56+00:00.

Tags: Bhagwant Mann, NDPS courts, Punjab and Haryana High Court, Punjab Cabinet
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How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports 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. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/