Supreme Court dismisses PIL seeking probe into deaths of children from toxic cough syrup
Bench declines call for court-monitored investigation; States trusted to act on contamination incidents
The Supreme Court has dismissed a public interest litigation seeking an independent, court-monitored probe into deaths of children allegedly caused by contaminated cough syrup manufactured by Sresan Pharma Pvt. Ltd. The petition, filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, cited recent deaths in Madhya Pradesh and highlighted confirmed contamination by Diethylene Glycol, referencing previous international incidents and regulatory gaps.
The bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran rejected calls for a centrally monitored investigation and overhaul of drug safety mechanisms, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta asserting that State governments are both responsible and actively addressing the issue. Mehta argued against judicial intervention prompted by newspaper reports, emphasizing institutional capability at the State level.
The plea, which detailed lapses in drug recall and testing, was denied, with the Court reiterating trust in State authorities to respond appropriately to such crises.