HC Asks State Govt To Probe Supply Of COVID-19 Drugs To Actor Sonu Sood & Others
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday (June 16) directed the Maharashtra government to conduct an inquiry about the alleged supply of anti-COVID drugs by MLA Zeeshan Siddique and actor Sonu Sood.
The
Bombay
High
Court
on
Wednesday
(June
16)
directed
the
Maharashtra
government
to
conduct
an
inquiry
about
the
alleged
supply
of
COVID-19
drugs
by
MLA
Zeeshan
Siddique
and
actor
Sonu
Sood.
The
court
questioned
the
allocation
of
drugs
by
the
celebrities
based
on
social
media
requests,
while
they
are
scarcely
available
across
the
country.
Earlier
this
week,
a
bench
comprising
of
Justice
Sunil
P
Deshmukh
and
Justice
Girish
S
Kulkarni
heard
PILs
against
the
Maharashtra
government
for
improper
COVID-19
management.
The
court
told
Advocate
General
Ashutosh
Kumbhakoni,
representing
the
state
government,
that
these
actions
of
the
celebs
reflect
badly
on
the
government.
"It
is
very
easy
for
anyone
to
go
to
social
media
and
say
that
I
am
the
person
to
come
for
your
help.
It
is
not
a
good
situation.
What
would
be
the
public
perception?
While
the
government
is
doing
everything
for
the
procurement
and
at
the
same
time
there
is
a
parallel
agency?
We
are
leaving
it
to
your
conscience
to
examine
the
role
of
these
two," the
court
added.
Justice
Sunil
P
Deshmukh
and
Justice
Girish
S
Kulkarni
also
directed
the
government
to
proceed
with
a
probe
in
the
illegal
procurement
of
essential
drugs
and
injections
for
COVID-19
treatment
for
people.
The
court
said,
"These
people
(celebrities
and
politicians)
project
themselves
as
some
kind
of
messiahs
without
verifying
if
the
drugs
were
spurious
or
if
the
supply
was
illegal."
Kumbhakoni
reportedly
informed
the
court
that
a
criminal
case
has
been
registered
in
the
Mazgaon
Metropolitan
Magistrate
Court
against
a
Charitable
Trust
called
BDR
Foundation
and
its
trustees
under
the
Drugs
and
Cosmetics
Act
for
allegedly
supplying
vials
of
anti-viral
drug
Remdesivir
to
politician
Siddique
without
having
properlicense
to
do
so.
He
also
informed
the
court
that
Bollywood
actor
Sonu
Sood
had
also
received
drugs
from
pharmacies
situated
inside
Lifeline
Care
Hospital
in
Goregaon
(E),
who
got
it
through
Cipla.
He
said
that
the
probe
is
still
on
into
the
matter.
"In
both
these
cases,
we
would
expect
the
government
to
scrutinise
their
actions
and
seriously
examine
their
roles," the
court
concluded,
adding
that
the
next
hearing
for
other
PILs
will
be
held
on
June
25.