The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a court-monitored inquiry and systemic reforms in drug safety mechanisms following the deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan allegedly caused by toxic cough syrups.
A bench comprising Chief Justice B. R. Gavai and Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and K. Vinod Chandran dismissed the petition filed by lawyer Vishal Tiwari after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta strongly objected to it.
At the outset, the bench appeared inclined to issue notice, but after hearing Mehta’s objections, it decided to dismiss the plea.
Mehta, who clarified he was not appearing for any state in this matter, told the court that states like Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh were taking the issue seriously and that there were already proper law enforcement mechanisms in place. He also remarked that the petitioner often reads about issues in newspapers and rushes to court with PILs.
The bench then asked Tiwari how many such petitions he had filed in the Supreme Court so far. When he responded that he had moved eight to ten PILs, the bench said simply: “Dismissed.”
The petition had sought judicial intervention to probe the deaths and strengthen regulatory systems for monitoring drug safety, but the court declined to entertain it.
