The Delhi High Court has directed the drug control bureau to investigate how BJP MP Gautam Gambhir and other politicians were able to procure COVID-19 medicine in bulk even as everything was in “short supply”. The Court also observed that BJP MP Gautam Gambhir must have been distributing the medicines to the best of his intention but the gesture unintentionally did a disservice.
A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh also directed the drug control bureau to launch a similar inquiry into the allegations of procuring and hoarding medical oxygen made against AAP MLAs Priti Tomar and Praveen Kumar and file a status report.
The court said the Drug Controller shall examine how it is possible for someone to procure over 2,000 strips of a medicine, Fabiflu here, which is already in shortage and how the chemist was able to entertain such a prescription.
“Mr Gautam Gambhir must have done it with best of intentions. We are not doubting his intentions. He has been a national player of our country. Our question is whether it is a responsible behaviour when you the medicine is in short supply.
“We are not doubting his intentions but the way he has gone about it, he has actually done a disservice, unintentionally may be. This was not the way that you buy from the market so many strips, certainly not,” the bench said.
The high court was hearing a PIL seeking lodging of an FIR on the allegations that politicians are able to procure in huge quantity and distribute COVID-19 medicines even as patients were running from pillar to post to get them.
An application was also filed in the pending petition making allegations MLAs Tomar and Kumar.
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The bench perused the status report of Delhi Police which said that Gambhir had purchased 2,628 strips of Fabiflu, used for treating COVID-19 patients, on the prescription of Dr Manish of Sanjay Garg Hospital and while 2,343 strips were distributed to patients, remaining 285 strips were deposited with Delhi government”s Director General of Health Services for distribution, in view of court”s earlier order.
“The aspect which needs to be examined is how such a large quantity of Fabiflu was authorized to be purchased in retail as the medicine was in grave short supply at the relevant time. We can take judicial notice of this fact as we have been hearing this matter for a considerable time now.
