'Played with lives': Court denies bail to man accused of possessing fake Remdesivir injections

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday denied bail to a man arrested for allegedly possessing fake Remdesivir injections, saying that he attempted to play with the lives of patients who urgently needed the medicine during the unprecedented COVID-19 times.

During a raid on April 30, seven vials of Remdesivir injections were recovered from the car in which accused Kartik Garg was travelling.

The injections were later found to be spurious.

While denying relief to him, Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Bedi said that the offences are grave in nature and entail severe punishment.

"The offences with which the applicant has been accused of are serious in nature, where the applicant in those unprecedented times attempted to play with the lives of patients, who needed urgent vials," the judge said.

Furthermore, the Additional Sessions Judge said that the offences committed by the accused not only attract punishment under the Indian Penal Code or the Epidemic Act but also the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

The accused is currently facing charges under sections 420 (cheating), 188 (disobedience to order by public servant), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and various sections of the Essential Commodities Act and Epidemic Diseases Act.

During the course of proceedings, the counsel for the accused claimed before the court that the alleged "recovery" shown from Garg was "planted by the police officials" and that there is nothing to indicate his involvement in the commission of the crime.

Remdesivir injection, which is used in the treatment of COVID-19, was in high demand during the second wave of the pandemic.