Delhi High Court Asks Delhi Police To File Report In Plea Seeking Action Against Politicians Hoarding, Illegally Distributing Covid Medicines

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the Delhi Police to file status report in a PIL seeking registration of FIRs against leaders of political parties indulging in hoarding and illegally distributing covid 19 medicines denying the access to the said medicines to the public at large.

A division bench comprising of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rekha Palli asked the Commissioner of Delhi Police to file status report in the matter and listed the matter for further hearing on May 17.

However, with regards to a specific prayer in the plea seeking investigation into the medical mafia-politicians nexus by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Bench opined that it was not inclined to hand over the matter to the CBI.

The development came in a petition moved by Dr. Deepak Singh, Chairman of Hruduya Foundation and filed by Advocate Gaurav Pathak seeking CBI investigation into the "nexus of politicians and medical mafia" and further prayed for detention of such persons indulging in black-marketing of Covid-19 medicines as per National Security Act, 1980.

The incidents of politicians hoarding covid medicines as highlighted in the petition are as follows:

- Member of Parliament Gautam Gambhir, Bhartiya Janata Party announcement for free of cost distribution of Fabiflu from his office.

- BJP Gujarat Unit Chief announcement on the free distribution of 5,000 doses of the Remdesivir.

- BJP MLA from north Maharashtra Shirish Chaudhari, illegally distributing Remdesivir vials without having any requisite licence.

-Sharad Pawar and Rohit Pawar of NCP reportedly distributing more than 300 vials of Remdesivir.

"That arrests are being made across States in relation to hoarding and black marketing of Remdesivir. It is most humbly submitted that these instances are not isolated in nature but point out to a huge large scale mafia operation, which has a political nexus. It is unpardonable that a single vial of Remdesivir which ordinarily costs around Rs. 1000/-, is now being sold in the black marked in upwards of Rs. 70,000/-". The petition read.