A public interest litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a comprehensive inquiry and systemic reforms in India’s drug safety mechanisms, following the deaths of several children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan allegedly caused by the consumption of toxic cough syrups.
The PIL, filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, urges the court to constitute a National Judicial Commission or an Expert Committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to examine regulatory lapses and recommend reforms.
The petition seeks the transfer of all pending FIRs and investigations related to child deaths caused by toxic cough syrups to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It requests that the probe be conducted under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to ensure uniformity and fairness across states.
It contends that fragmented, state-level investigations have allowed systemic failures to persist, enabling hazardous formulations to repeatedly enter the market without accountability.
The plea highlights reports from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where several children allegedly died after consuming a particular type of cough syrup. It argues that these incidents expose serious gaps in the regulatory framework meant to ensure the safety and quality of medicines available to the public.
The petitioner has sought the court’s direction to the Central Government to set up a national-level judicial or expert body tasked with identifying the regulatory failures that allowed substandard medicines to circulate.
The PIL further urges the Supreme Court to mandate toxicological testing of all suspect cough syrup products through NABL-accredited laboratories before any further sale or export is permitted.
It emphasizes that urgent systemic reforms are needed to protect public health and prevent a recurrence of such tragedies.
