17 May , 2021 By : Debdeep Gupta
The Delhi High Court on May 17 expressed dissatisfaction over the Delhi Police's clean chit to Youth Congress chief BV Srinivas and other politicians in the alleged medicine hoarding case.
The bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh said the position taken by the police was unacceptable to them. The matter requires a thorough investigation, the court reportedly said.
"Just because some political figures are involved, this is no reason to not investigate," Hindustan Times quoted the bench as stating. The court further sounded critical of the police, saying that "it seems that you are not interested in getting out the truth".
The court had, on May 4, directed the police to conduct an inquiry and submit a report in response to a petition which alleged that several politicians in the national capital hoarded crucial medicines. The accused used their own network to distribute medicines linked to COVID-19 treatment, the petitioner, Dr Deepak Singh, alleged.
Nine politicians came under the radar of investigation, including Srinivas, East Delhi BJP MP Gautam Gambhir, AAP leader Dilip Pandey, former Congress MLA Mukesh Khurana, former Rajya Sabha MP Shahid Siddiqui, Delhi Congress president Chaudhary Anil Kumar and vice chief Ali Mehdi.
The police, after conducting a preliminary inquiry, noted in its report that Srinivas and others genuinely helped citizens who were in urgent need of oxygen cylinders, plasma, Remdesivir and other crucial COVID-19-related drugs.
The politicians involved in the aid work acted voluntarily and had no motive to draw profit, the police said. The beneficiaries were not charged any money and hence there is no question of defrauding anyone, the police stated in its report submit before the court.
The bench, however, wants the police to determine how the politicians were able to procure the drugs without prescription, particularly at a time when an acute shortage was being reported.
The court directed the police to file a "complete status report" by May 24, adding that all the medicines which the politicians have procured should be submitted to the Directorate of Health Services (DGHS).
0 Comment