Can NSA be invoked against hoarders? SC seeks government view

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a plea seeking its direction to the Centre and states to invoke the stringent National Security Act against persons involved in the act of hoarding, profiteering, adulteration and black marketing of essential goods like medicine, which was witnessed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A bench of Justices S Abdul Nazeer and V Ramasubramanian issued notice to the Centre and states seeking their response on a PIL which also sought that Section 31 of Criminal Procedure Code should not apply to the offences for hoarding, profiteering, adulteration and black marketing and the sentence should be consecutive, not concurrent.
The petition filed by BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay said thousands of people died during the pandemic due to inaction of the governments and also due to lack of enacted stringent and effective law as proposed by various commissions. The petitioner pointed out that NSA had to be invoked to check such heinous offences as hoarding of Remdesivir injections and their black marketing during the pandemic.