Punjab and Haryana High Court ropes in CBI to probe role of pharma companies in drug abuse

PTC News Desk: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the role of drugs manufacturer companies over seizure of synthetic drugs in two states, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, among other states.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asserted that the smuggling of drugs in the form of medicines also calls for a rigorous investigation in role of Pharma companies. 

The bench of justices comprising justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and justice Sanjay Vashisth said that it has been noted that cases pertaining to the seizure of drugs are mostly in the form of tablets, syringes and vials, which are manufactured by various drug manufacturing companies situated in and around the areas of State of Haryana as well as Punjab. 

"We have our reservation regarding the performances of the NCB authorities with regard to such regulation of drug manufacturing because we have been noticing in various cases which have come to the high court that huge quantity of drugs are being recovered which are in the form of tablets, syringes and vials, which are manufactured by various drug manufacturing companies situated in and around the areas of State of Haryana as well as Punjab.”

The remarks come during hearing of a plea in a drugs case of November 2020 in which the court in 2021 handed over the probe to Central Bureau of Investigation for investigating the role of pharma companies in drug seizure case. 

In the reports submitted by CBI and NCB in September, it was recorded that most of the drugs are those which are found in vials but in the form of medicines. These are manufactured by various pharmaceutical firms and are being released in the market in a clandestine manner.