HC denies bail to man accused of illegal sale of Remdesivir

The court expresses shock over ‘playing with the lives of persons suffering from COVID-19’

Observing that all steps should be taken to eradicate black marketing of essential drugs and sale of spurious/fake drugs, the High Court of Karnataka denied bail to a person arrested on the allegation of selling Remdesivir injection, used in treatment of COVID-19 patients, in the black market.

Justice Suraj Govindaraj passed the order on a petition filed by Sohail Pasha, 32, a resident of Madeena Nagar in Mangamanapalya in Bengaluru.

“It is required to be ascertained during the course of the investigation as to from where the petitioner has obtained such injections and how the same was sold without prescription when the drug required to be sold only on prescription being issued,” the High Court observed.

He was arrested by the police when he had supplied five vials of the injection at ₹7,000 per vial, and had collected ₹35,000 from the buyer. The police have claimed that the petitioner, being a pharmacist, could not have involved himself in black-marketing of the drug.

“It cannot be understood as to how such an offence could be committed in these uncertain times by playing with the lives of persons suffering from COVID-19,” the court observed.

The court also said that “such an inhuman conduct is highly deplorable when society at large has come together to tide over these difficulties and turbulent time, which has arisen on account of COVID-19 pandemic. It is shocking that persons have indulged themselves in black-marketing of such drugs.”

The court, however, permitted him to file a fresh plea for bail once the police complete their investigation and submit the final report to the jurisdictional court.

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