The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the plea seeking a court-monitored probe into the deaths linked to a cough syrup, on Friday.
The apex court will also hear a PIL seeking systemic reforms in India’s
drug safety mechanisms following the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, allegedly due to the consumption of toxic cough syrups.
A bench comprising Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and K Vinod Chandran took note of the submissions made by the petitioner and lawyer Vishal Tiwari, who sought an urgent hearing of the matter. The bench scheduled the hearing for October 10.
Besides calling for a court-monitored investigation, the PIL also seeks the establishment of a National Judicial Commission or Expert Committee, to be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, to examine lapses in the drug safety system. It also requests that all pending FIRs and investigations related to the deaths of children allegedly caused by toxic cough syrups be transferred to the CBI for a unified probe under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to ensure fairness and consistency.
