Live
- Turkish police detain 11 suspected IS members
- Vice FMs of South Korea, Canada discuss cooperation in energy, G7 ties
- HUL posts 6 pc fall in Q4 net profit at Rs 2,406 crore, declares dividend of Rs 24 per share
- Zimbabwe name 15-member squad for five-match T20I series against Bangladesh
- ‘I would love to see more players from my state get opportunities,’ I-League Emerging Player Gyamar Nikum
- More women voters in 14 Karnataka LS seats which go to polls on May 7: CEO
- YSRCP Candidate for Vijayawada West, Assures Voters of Inclusive Leadership
- Buy iPhone 15 at Rs 62,999 on Flipkart with Bank Discounts
- Kandikunta Venkataprasad Intensifies Election Campaign in Tribals Areas of Sri Sathya Sai District
- Kapusankshema Seva Sangam Extends Support to TDP-BJP Alliance as per Janasena Chief's Instructions
Delhi High Court questions police's clean chit to politicians
Delhi High Court
‘hoarding’ of Covid medicines
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday expressed its displeasure with the Delhi Police clean chit to nine politicians, including city MP Gautam Gambhir and Indian Youth Congress (IYC) President B.V. Srinivas, in a matter connected with alleged hoarding of Covid medicines.
In its initial inquiry, Delhi Police, gave clean chit cricketer-turned-BJP MP Gambhir, Srinivas, Delhi Congress President Anil Kumar Chaudhary, ex-MLA Mukesh Sharma, BJP leader Harish Khurana, AAP MLA Dilip Pandey, among others.
The allegations against the politicians involved hoarding and distributing Covid-19 medicines, including Remdesivir, in the capital. In their report, the police said they were actually helping people without charging money and no one was defrauded.
Objecting to Delhi Police's clean chit to politicians, a bench comprising Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh said: "This is completely unacceptable. Political parties cannot make this pandemic a selling point. How could they purchase it without prescription?"
The court queried the police if it realises how many people have succumbed to the viral infection due to shortage of medicines. Asking it to act with responsibility, the bench told the Delhi Police: "They have no business to buy medicines and hoarding them to earn some goodwill. Now it seems that you are not interested in getting out the truth."
It added that if there were some political leaders involved in the matter, it should not deter the police from investigating it properly. "Your force should stand up, you have a duty towards the people... People all over are suffering," said the bench.
The bench further added that it expects the medicines to be surrendered to the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Delhi Police to conduct a "proper investigation" and register an FIR, if a case is made out.
The bench told the police that it wants to see a complete status report. Emphasising the stocks of medicines held by political leaders should be handed over to the DGHS, the court said: "In case, they want to do public good, that would be the best way it can be done... we are appealing in good sense that this should not go, and they should go and surrender it with the DGHS."
The court made sharp observations during the hearing of a PIL seeking registration of an FIR on allegations that politicians are procuring large quantity of Covid-19 medicines even as patients were running around to get these medicines. It was alleged that while the oxygen cylinders were provided to those in need, but it was done for "political gains".
