The Supreme Court on Friday will continue hearing in a PIL, which is seeking direction to the Centre to issue strict guidelines to prevent fake Novel Coronavirus vaccine.
A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on May 7, stating, “As governments are preparing to roll out vaccines, criminal organisations are planning to infiltrate or disrupt supply chains. Jürgen Stock, INTERPOL Secretary General LYON, France, had also issued a global alert to law enforcement agencies across its 194 member countries, in December 2020, warning them to prepare for organized crime networks targeting Covid-19 vaccines, both physically and online.”
The Bench comprising Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice L Nageswara Rao and Justice Ravindra Bhat, on April 30, while hearing a petition filed by Vishal Tiwari seeking direction to the Centre to issue strict guidelines and regulations under the Disaster Management Act or under any other law to prevent the chances of fake and counterfeit coronavirus vaccine, said, “We do not want to create new committees, but only want to supplant the current structure of the country.”
The petition urged the Court to constitute a High-Powered committee, monitored by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, for looking into the probability of selling, circulating, and advertising of a fake Covid vaccine by any organisation, company or online application.
The plea also sought, the following directions:-
- The direction to the Centre to run awareness programme for the safety of citizens against the danger of counterfeit vaccination of coronavirus;
- Direction to the Centre to ensure Equitable Distribution of coronavirus vaccine and also to ensure affordable pricing of vaccine for the public and to make set guidelines and instructions for this.