Tag: Remdesivir injections

  • Madhya Pradesh government informs SC about revoking doctor’s detention under NSA, wife’s plea disposed

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Madhya Pradesh government Friday informed the Supreme Court that it has revoked the detention of a doctor, accused of black marketing anti-COVID Remdesivir injections at Indore, under the National Security Act.

    The state government said that following its decision, the district magistrate wrote to the Jail Superintendent of Central Jail at Indore and the doctor was subsequently released.

    A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud, Vikram Nath and Hima Kohli, after recording the submission of additional advocate general Saurabh Mishra, disposed of the plea filed by Aasefa Khan challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s July 16 order dismissing her habeas corpus petition challenging the detention of her husband under NSA.

    During the brief hearing, Mishra said that on July 16, the state government has decided to revoke the detention under NSA of the doctor and on August 2, district magistrate had written to Jail Superintendent of Central Jail, Indore to release him.

    The bench said that nothing survives in the petition as the accused has been released and disposed of the plea filed by his wife.

    Advocate R S Chhabra, appearing for Aasefa, said that they have also filed an appeal against rejection of bail by the high court, which in a way is also a stigma.

    Chhabra said that the appeal also needs to be heard at the earliest.

    The bench said it will take up the appeal against rejection of bail in the due course of time.

    On August 19, while issuing notice the top court had asked the Madhya Pradesh government, Can an incident affect public order enough to invoke NSA”.

    The plea has recorded various grounds, mostly procedural, on which the detention is being challenged by the petitioner like the detenu was declared as “absconding” in the detention order dated May 19, whereas he was in jail since May 13.

    The detention was also challenged on the grounds that the documents referred by the Superintendent of Police for recommending the doctor’s detention under NSA, 1980 were not forwarded to the detaining authority.

    Aasefa had stated that the memorandum relied upon by the detaining authority was not supplied to the detenu and the valuable right of representation to the detaining authority was defeated due to delay in execution of detention order, and by the time it was served, it had been approved by the state government.

    The high court erred in not appreciating the consequence of wrongful declaration of the detenu as absconding as due to this the statutory authorities formed an impression that detenu is liable to be punished under provision of NSA, she said.

    The plea filed through advocate P S Sudheer said, “The high court further erred in not appreciating the fact that memorandum of section 27 of the Indian Evidence Act, was referred to in the grounds of detention but was never served upon the detenu and thereby violating Article 22 (5) of the Constitution”.

    It said the high court erred in not appreciating the fact that there was delay in execution of detention order and no explanation was offered in the reply as to why there was delay in execution of the order when the detenu was already in custody.

    No explanation is tendered as to why it took 6 days after passing of the detention order to seek approval of the competent court to formally arres the detenu.

    Delay in execution of detention order vitiates the subjective satisfaction of the detaining authority, the plea said.

    It said that the high court erred in not appreciating that Article 22(5) of the constitution mandates that an earliest opportunity is to be afforded to the detenu to make a representation against the order.

    In the present case, the right of representation to the detaining authority was rendered otiose on account of delay in execution of detention order on the detenu.

    The detention order dated May 19 was approved by the state government on May 28 whereas the same was served on the detenu on June 5”, it said.

    The plea said that the detenu was deprived of his right to make representation to the detaining authority as the detention order was approved by the state government before it was served on the detenu.

    That by virtue of explanation to section 3(2) of the National Security Act, 1980 no order of detention under the National Security Act, 1980 could have been passed as the alleged act of the detenu falls within the ambit of Prevention of Black-marketing and maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980,” the plea said.

    The high court while dismissing her plea said that indulging in black marketing of a drug like Remdesivir in days of extreme crisis is certainly such an ugly act and fact which can very well be a reason for invoking NSA.

    On May 1, during the peak of the second wave of COVID, Indore police arrested two persons for black marketing Remdesivir Injection opposite a hospital and case was registered at Vijaynagar police station.

    Based on the statement of those arrested, the doctor was arrested in the case.

    According to the plea, police had not recovered any injection from him but seized Rs 1,200 from his possession.

  • Received 28,350 Remdesivir injections from makers against 1.75 lakh ordered: Rajasthan govt

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government on Sunday said the state had placed an order for purchase of 1.75 lakh Remdesivir injections from various drug manufacturers in April, but it has so far received only 28,350 of them.

    For the period from April 21 to April 30, a total of 26,500 Remdesivir injections have been allocated to Rajasthan by the Centre, Health Minister Raghu Sharma said in a statement.

    He said after efforts of the Rajasthan government, the Centre allocated another 67,000 injections to the state.

    The Health Minister said 250 metric tonne (MT) of oxygen is required in the state in view of the ongoing coronavirus situation.

    The Centre has allocated 140 MT oxygen to the state.

    Currently, 23 tankers each having a filling capacity of 4 to 6 MT are available for liquid oxygen transport in the state, the Rajasthan Health minister said.

    An additional requirement of six tankers, each with a capacity of 30 MT oxygen, has been made, Sharma said.

    He said a continuous rise in screening facilities for the prevention and treatment of the coronavirus infection in the state is being made and the number of oxygen beds is also being increased continuously according to the requirement.

    “Rajasthan is among the leading states of the country (in terms of vaccinating people).

    Every effort is also being made to supply oxygen and other drugs, including Remdisvir, to the needy” he added.

    So far, 4.95 lakh people have been found infected with the coronavirus in Rajasthan and 3.67 lakh of them have recovered from the infection, while the state has an active case count of 1.27 lakh.

  • One doctor, three others arrested in Gujarat for black-marketing Remdesivir

    By PTI
    SURAT: Police have arrested a doctor and three other persons in Surat for allegedly black-marketing Remdesivir injections, which are in high demand for treating COVID-19 patients, an official said on Sunday.

    Acting on a tip-off, a crime branch team nabbed the four people from different areas here in Gujarat on Saturday and recovered three vials of the key anti-viral drug from them, he said.

    The accused were trying to sell the drug at a higher price than its MRP (maximum retail price) to the needy persons, the police official said.

    Efforts were also on to nab the person who supplied the Remdesivir vials to the accused, he said.

    An FIR was lodged against the accused at the Lalgate police station under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy), and provisions of the Essential Commodities Act, the official said.

    Remdesivir is listed for use in serious COVID-19 patients.

    In view of a sudden spike in demand of the drug due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the Centre recently banned its export till the situation improves.

    A few days back, the Gujarat High Court asked the state government to formulate a policy for the distribution of Remdesivir injections to hospitals in view of its high demand.

     

  • Four arrested for black-marketing of remdesivir injections in Lucknow

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: Four people were arrested here on Friday for alleged black-marketing of remdesivir injections, police said.

    After receiving a tip-off, a team from Naka Hindola police station arrested Ram Sagar, Amandeep Madan, Ankur Vaishya and Anshu Gupta near the Charbagh Metro Station, Police Commissioner D K Thakur said.

    Police have recovered 116 remdesivir injections and Rs 1.94 lakh from the accused, he said, adding that an FIR was registered against them.

    ALSO READ: 8 basic things to know about the high-demand COVID-19 drug

    Remdesivir injections are currently in high demand as the drug is used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had earlier directed officials to take strict action against those involved in the black-marketing of remdesivir and oxygen cylinders in the state.

    He had ordered them to take action under the National Security Act (NSA) and the Gangsters Act against those involved in the practice.

     

  • Three held for black marketing Remdesvir injections in Kanpur

    By PTI
    KANPUR: Three persons, including two medical representatives, were arrested here for allegedly black marketing Remdesivir injections, the Uttar Pradesh Police said on Friday.

    A total of 265 Remdesivir injections, used in the treatment of COVID-19, were seized from their possession, a senior UP Police Special Task Force official said.

    The injections were meant for back marketing, he added.

    The three persons were arrested on Thursday in a joint operation by the Kanpur Police and the STF after a tip-off regarding black marketing of Remdesivir injections, the official said.

    As per details, the Remdesivir injections were to be sold to someone at a very high price in Kidwai Nagar, the STF said in a statement.

    The arrested persons were identified as medical representatives Prashant Shukla and Mohan Soni, residents of Naubasta, and Sachin Kumar of Haryana.

    Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kanpur south, Raveena Tyagi said the batch number on the vials was found to be missing.

    The arrested persons failed to produce the bill of the vials, she added.

    Mobile phones of the arrested persons have been seized to scan call details to unearth the scam, Tyagi said.

    An FIR has been registered at Babupurwa police station in this connection, the DCP said.

  • UP CM orders procurement of 25,000 Remdesivir injections from Ahmedabad

    By ANI
    LUCKNOW: In view of the shortage of Remdesivir in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday directed the state health department to acquire 25,000 injections of Remdesivir from Gujarat’s Ahmedabad on an urgent basis.

    According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the officers of the Health Department left for Ahmedabad to get 25000 Remedisver injections at 10.40 am today.

    Remdesivir is considered a key anti-viral drug in the fight against COVID-19.

    Earlier, the Centre on Sunday prohibited exports of injection Remdesivir and Remdesivir Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) till the COVID-19 situation in the country improves.

    Meanwhile, the UP CM on Tuesday went into self-isolation after coming into contact with some officials who tested positive for COVID-19.

    “A few officials in my office have contracted COVID-19. I had come into their contact. That is why, as a precautionary measure, I am self-isolating myself and will work virtually,” the UP CM tweeted in Hindi.

    Uttar Pradesh reported 18,021 new COVID-19 cases and 85 deaths on Tuesday.