SC to hear plea seeking prevention of sale of fake COVID-19 vaccines

The Supreme Court, on Monday, will hear fresh Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions under the Disaster Management Act (DMA) to prevent the sale of counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines. A lawyer Vishal Tiwari has filed the said PIL. 

On May 31, a three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Dr Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud and also comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and Shripathi Ravindra Bhat will hear the fresh petition filed by Tiwari with his "concrete facts", in the case. 

Another three-judge bench of the top court headed by the former CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde had on February 11, 2021, refused to entertain the petition of Tiwari and asked him to file a fresh one with "concrete facts" in the matter before the court.

Aforesaid bench led by then CJI and now retired Bobde had said, "We understand your motivation. But you (Tiwari) file a fresh case with concrete facts. We cannot issue general directions. We are not the legislature."

COVID-19 vaccine awareness programme 

The PIL seeks direction from the Union of India and others for the issuance of stringent guidelines and rigid regulations under the DMA by constituting a special committee to prevent the chances of fake and counterfeit COVID-19 vaccine selling/ circulating by any organisation, company and online applications. 

The petitioner has sought appropriate directions that the respondents, including the Centre, be directed to hold an awareness programme keeping in mind the safety of citizens against the hazards of counterfeit coronavirus vaccination. Tiwari, in his petition, sought a direction that the respondents be directed to enact strict legislation against the criminal offence of misrepresenting vaccines and selling or circulating by any individual or organisation. 

The lawyer in his petition noted that the right to healthcare, the right to safe health and the right to life enshrined under Article 21 guarantees protection against fake treatment and drugs. According to his petition, Interpol has issued an orange notice to all member countries and has warned against several criminal organisations will indulge in the circulating and sale of counterfeit or fake COVID-19 vaccines. This can be carried out online as many fraudulent websites will become active while vulnerable and despaired minds of people will fall prey to such criminal entities.

Saving that India is gravely populous, the petition said that it can be a hub of "illegal profit".

(With inputs from ANI)