Probe how Gautam Gambhir procured Covid drugs in large quantities: Delhi HC to Drug Controller

The Delhi High Court on Monday directed Delhi’s Drugs Control Department to launch a probe into BJP MP Gautam Gambhir’s procurement of Fabiflu strips, an essential covid-19 drug, in large quantities when everything was in “short supply.”

The court has asked the drug controller to file a status report regarding the investigation within a week. For this, it ordered the Delhi Police — currently handling the investigation of Covid-19 drugs hoarding by politicians — to handover relevant material to the drug controller.

While acknowledging that Gambhir might have had good intentions behind this, the court did not deem this as “responsible behaviour” at the time of a crisis.

“Mr Gautam Gambhir may have done this with the best of interests. Our issue is, is it a responsible behaviour when everything is in short supply? Should he not have realised it will become in short supply for others? Many others must have suffered on this account?” the court said.

“The way he(Gambhir) has gone about it, he has done disservice. Ten other people would stand up and say we’ll also adopt modus operandi. This was not the way,” the court added.

The court declined request to implead Gambhir as party. “We have only ordered inquiry, not said take action,” said the court.

The court also took note of allegations against AAP MLAs Preeti Tomar and Praveen Kumar. With regard to allegations against Tomar and Kumar, the court said similar exercise be carried out by Drug Controller and a status report be filed within week. The allegations against them relate to medical oxygen.

Earlier in the week, the court pulled Delhi Police for the “vague and whitewashed” inquiry into the allegations of hoarding of Covid-19 medicines by politicians. The court said it appeared that the police were not interested in bringing out the truth. “Just because some political figures are involved is no reason not to investigate,” it said.

(With inputs from Sofi Ahsan)