CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has refused to pass any direction on Aama Janata Adhikar Trust (AJAD)’s PIL seeking a CBI probe into the alleged spurious Covid-19 drug trade in the State.
The court on Monday said the grievance of the petitioner is against sale of adulterated spurious drugs during the pandemic situation resulting in exploitation of public. However, it is seen that the petition is essentially based on news clippings.
The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice BP Routray said, "The petitioner will do well to draw the attention of the office of Drugs Inspector to specific instances that come to the petitioner’s knowledge to enable the Drugs Inspector’s Office to take appropriate targeted action."
"Accordingly, the petitioner is permitted to make representation on specific instances and if thereafter no action is taken, it would be open to the petitioner to seek appropriate remedies in accordance with law. At this stage no further direction is called for," the bench said.
Advocate Bibhuti Bhusan Choudhury argued the case for the petitioner. AJAD co-convener Basudev Bhatta had sought a court-monitored CBI probe expressing concern over the extensive network of the spurious drugs cartel in the State that had come to light following the recent unearthing of counterfeit Favipiravir tablets worth Rs 70 lakh in Cuttack.
While Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered a Crime Branch inquiry, the State CID-Crime Branch had since formed a Special Task Force (STF) to probe the trade.