Additional Sessions Judge Gautam Kumar Gujhare in Parasia Civil Court of Madhya Pradesh has refused to grant bail to recently arrested doctor Praveen Soni. Let us tell you that Dr. Soni is accused of having prescribed Coldrif cough syrup for children, due to the consumption of which many children died. The court also said that the investigation of the case has not been completed yet and serious charges have been leveled against the accused, hence he cannot be granted regular bail.
According to current information, at least 24 children died after giving this syrup to underage children in Chhindwara district. The state government has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter. Apart from this, Govindan Ranganathan, owner of Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharmaceuticals, has also been arrested.
It is noteworthy that after the death of children, many states of India have banned Coldrif syrup. According to reports, high quantity of diethylene glycol was found in this syrup, which is poisonous. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also expressed deep concern over the shortcomings in drug safety regulations in India.
Dr. Soni’s lawyer argued in the court that before the government’s ban, this syrup was approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and certified for medicinal use. The lawyer also said that Dr. Soni is a government doctor and has been working in the medical field for the last 35-40 years. According to him, the responsibility of adulteration in syrup lies entirely on the drug manufacturer and regulatory agencies.
However, the police claim that Dr. Soni had received 10 percent commission for prescribing the syrup and the syrup was sold in a medicine shop in his relative’s name, which is located near his private clinic. The court has refused to grant bail after hearing the arguments of all the parties. Let us tell you that on October 10, the Supreme Court did not even accept the PIL demanding an independent, court-monitored investigation in this case.