Gujarat HC issues notice to state BJP president CR Patil over 'illegal' hoarding 5,000 vials of Remdesivir

The Gujarat High Court has issued notice to state government, state BJP presidet C R Patil and Surat MLA Harsh Sanghvi in response to a PIL filed by the leader of the opposition in state assembly Paresh Dhanani seeking inquiry against them for hoarding and distributing 5,000 vials of Remdesivir injection from the BJP office in violation of the pharmacy act, disaster management act and epidemic diseases act.

The High Court has fixed May 5 for the next hearing of the PIL.

In his petition, the Opposition leader demanded an independent inquiry to find out as to how the state BJP chief Patil and the party MLA from Surat procured, hoarded and distributed the injection which can only be sold by a registered pharmacist and against prescription issued by a registered medical practitioner.

The petitioner submitted that while there was an acute shortage of Remdesivir injection throughout the country in the wake of the spike in COVID-19 pandemic cases, the BJP leaders had not only procured and hoarded the life-saving injection but were distributing it free from the BJP office in Surat and thus violated pharmacy act, disaster management act and the epidemic diseases act.

The petition contended that CR Patil did not have the necessary registration as a pharmacist to distribute the injection among public and hence had violated the regulatory acts related to pharmaceuticals and epidemic.

When asked by journalist form where and how could he procure 5,000 vials of Remdesivir injection, C R Patil said he had got them from his friend.

Remdesivir is prescribed by doctors for the treatment COVID-10 patients who are in critical condition. Because of acute shortage of the injection, Remdesivir was being sold in black market at prices ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000.

Police have arrested about a dozen persons from Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Rajkot for being in possession of Remdesivir injection vials with the intention of selling them in the black market.