■ COVID medicine hoarding case:
SC rejects plea to stay proceedings against Gambhir Foundation

New Delhi, Jul 26 (Agency) The Supreme Court on Monday turned down the plea filed by Gautam Gambhir Foundation to stay the proceedings initiated by the Drug Controller of Delhi against them in an alleged case of hoarding and distribution of Covid-19 medicines. A bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah said people were running around for medicines and drugs, and in this situation, suddenly a trust buying large amounts of medicine “was not done”.

The foundation of Cricketer-turned-politician and an MP from Bharatiya Janata Party, Gautam Gambhir had approached the top court seeking a stay on the trial court proceedings. “You can pursue your remedies in High Court. But we cannot help you. How can we stay the process?”, the bench asked senior advocate Kailash Vasdev, appearing for the foundation.

He later withdrew the petition. Earlier, the drug controller had apprised the Delhi High Court that Gautam Gambhir Foundation has been found guilty of unauthorisedly stocking, procuring, and distributing the Fabiflu medicine to COVID-19 patients. In late April, Gambhir had offered Fabiflu for free at his constituency in Delhi. This was at the height of the second Covid wave, during which key drugs like Fabiflu were in short supply in hospitals.