Gangajal As COVID Cure: Allahabad High Court Issues Notice To ICMR On Plea Seeking Lab Research Of Phage Therapy Through Ganga Water

The Bench of Acting Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice Rajendra Kumar-IV issued the notice on the plea of Senior Advocate, Arun Kumar Gupta in person. He is also the Amicus Curie in the Re: Ganga Case.

The Plea avers that National Mission for Clean Ganga had forwarded his (petitioner's) paper to the Director-General Indian Council for Medical Research to undertake the clinical study on treatment of Covid-19 Patients with Gangaajal (Phage therapy).

Thereafter, the plea states, the Indian Council for Medical Research(ICMR) took a virtual presentation online and thereafter, through press and media, it was informed to the public that ICMR had rejected the proposal of treatment of Covid-19 patients by Phage-therapy and its clinical Studies.

Thereafter, the petitioner approached and contacted the doctors of the Indian Institute of Medical Sciences IMS, BHU, Varanasi and Dr. Vijay Nath Mishra, Professor in Department of Neurology, BHU agreed for further scientific research and clinical study on the subject and theory propounded by the petitioner and accordingly he made a team of 5 doctors including himself.

Further, Dr. Vijay Nath Mishra and the team conducted the scientific study and collected the clinical data and found that "Phage Treatment of Gangajal is a very Effective Treatment in COVID-19 infection.

Thereafter, on the basis of the same, the team of doctors also prepared a NASAL-SPRAY VACCINE which can be administered through the nose and which kills the coronavirus.

Now, the plea avers that since the theory and hypothesis requires the nod and clearance of the institutional ethics committee IMS, BHU, the petitioner requested the doctors of the team for taking the clearance from the Institutional Ethics committee and the same was submitted to the Ethics Committee.

However, the plea submits that the matter is presently pending before the Ethics Committee aforesaid since last 7 months but the Ethics Committee external experts did not give permission for the clinical trial.

Further, the petitioner wrote to the president of India and forwarded copies to the Director-General NMCG, Director General, ICMR; to Ayush Ministry and PMO, making the request that the Ethics committee IMS BHU be directed to give the clearance to the proposal of "Efficacy Of Phages Therapy In Covid-19 Infection Through Ganga Water" and also direct to the ICMR and AYUSH Ministry to permit the team of doctors headed by Dr. Vijay Nath Mishra of the Neurology Department for the Clinical Trial of the same.

Prayers in the plea

• Direction to the Union of India, Ministry of Ayush, Govt. of India, New Delhi and Director General & Indian Council for Medical Research to conduct the lab research through the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
• Direct the respondents to permit the petitioner's joint group headed by V N Mishra IMS, BHU to get the lab test in any of the places outside India at the expense of the government.
• Direction to Chairman, Institutional Ethics Committee, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University to give the clearance to the joint group for the clinical trial of Virophages in the treatment of Corona Virus.