Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 10: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the recent deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh and other states, allegedly caused by the consumption of contaminated cough syrup.

A bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai and comprising Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and K Vinod Chandran rejected the PIL filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta objected to it. The bench also questioned Tiwari about the number of PILs he had filed in the apex court, and upon learning that he had moved around eight to ten such petitions, the court dismissed the current plea.

The issue gained national attention after 20 children in Madhya Pradesh reportedly died due to the consumption of adulterated Coldrif cough syrup, manufactured by Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharma. On October 9, Madhya Pradesh Police detained Ranganathan, the owner of the company, in Chennai following a statewide manhunt. A reward of ?20,000 had been announced for his arrest.

Meanwhile, the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA) had urged the central government to launch an immediate and impartial probe into the tragic incident. The association appealed to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to constitute a Central Investigation Committee to conduct a detailed inquiry into the matter.