RANCHI: The Jharkhand high court on Friday pulled up the state government for not informing the court on making the superintendent of police (Ranchi rural) an approver in the case of black marketing of Remdesivir, an emergency use drug for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
A division bench of Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad said the state government, being aware that the high court took up the suo motu PIL in the case and closely monitoring it, should have informed the court about the matter.
The bench then summoned former CID ADGP Anil Palta and the investigating officer of the case to appear online in the case on the next date of hearing. The bench has also ordered the investigating officer of the case to furnish the records and documents of the case for the court’s perusal.
Meanwhile, advocate general Rajiv Ranjan pleaded before the bench saying that all steps have been taken in compliance with the directions passed by the court from time to time.
Notably, the high court had taken cognizance of news reports highlighting the illegal sale and black marketing of Remdevisir and other drugs during the peak of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and took up the PIL.
The court was not happy with the tardy pace of investigation by the police and had ordered the investigation to be done by the CID which was headed by Palta. Subsequently, Palta was transferred by the state government and is now ADGP (railways).
