BJP leader moves SC for stricter punishment to hoarders; demands NSA be invoked

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 28

A BJP leader has moved the Supreme Court seeking stricter punishment for hoarders and those indulging in profiteering, adulteration and black marketing of medicines, medical equipment and oxygen cylinders during COVID19 pandemic.

Petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay – a Delhi BJP leader and advocate – urged the top court to direct the Centre and states to invoke the National Security Act (NSA) against criminal elements involved in such activities and seize their 100 per cent “benami properties and disproportionate assets”.

In Delhi itself, Remdesivir injection was sold at the rate of Rs 70,000 though its price is Rs 899.

“Similarly, a large number of oxygen concentrators and oxygen cylinders were recovered from different places,” he submitted.

“Though, around 300 FIRs have been lodged against the person for hoarding, profiteering, adulteration and black-marketing. But neither NSA invoked nor their assets seized,” the PIL pointed out.

“Thousands of EWS and BPL citizens died on streets, in vehicles, in hospitals compounds and their homes due to hoarding of hospital beds, adulterated Covid medicines, black marketing of medical equipment like oxygen cylinder and huge profiteering in the sale of life saving injections like Remdesivir, Tocilizumab etc.,” the PIL stated.

Several people lost their family members due to hoarding of beds, profiteering, adulteration in medicines and black marketing, Upadhyay alleged while urging the court to rule that the punishment for offences for hoarding, profiteering, adulteration and black marketing and the sentence shall be consecutive, not concurrent.

He demanded that the Centre should examine international laws relating to hoarding, profiteering, adulteration and black marketing and take appropriate steps to insert a Chapter for these offences in IPC.

Upadhyay said the Law Commission should be asked to examine International Laws related to Hoarding, Adulteration, Profiteering and Black Marketing and prepare a Report within three months.

Due to ineffective outdated vague laws, the government has totally failed to control hoarding of beds in hospitals, spurious medicine generation, profiteering, adulteration and black marketing, since this pandemic has started, he submitted.

“District Administration has even failed to control manufacture and sale of fake sanitizers, masks, thermometer, oximeter, nebulizer, etc,” the petitioner said.