Political leaders have no business to hoard stocks of Covid-19 medicines as they are already in short supply and they are expected to surrender these drugs, said the Delhi High Court which on Monday also expressed dissatisfaction over a “vague and whitewashed enquiry” report filed by the Delhi Police over the allegations against politicians hoarding and distributing medicines, including Remdesivir, in the national Capital.
“Just because some political figures are involved, you will not investigate? We will not allow this,” said the court adding that it would have appreciated if the police had enquired into specific allegations against each person and then filed the report.
However, the court, which was hearing a PIL said since it is projected that these medicines were procured for public charity, it hopes and expects that they are not hoarded for political gains.
“Political leaders have no business to hoard stocks of these medicines. We expect them to surrender to the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) which will then distribute it to the poor and needy people at Government hospitals.
This is the best way to do public service,” said a Bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh and added that if their intention is to do public good, they should themselves go and surrender the stock.
The police, in its status report, said the political leaders, have been actually helping people in getting medical aid in the form of medicines, oxygen and others and have not charged any money and no one has been defrauded.
The police, represented through standing counsel Sanjay Lau, said the enquiry in the alleged instances is being conducted on a day-to-day basis and the officials have examined Lok Sabha MP and BJP leader Gautam Gambhir, president of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee Chaudhary Anil Kumar, ex-Congress MLA Mukesh Sharma, BJP spokesperson Harish Khurana and AAP MLA Dilip Pandey.
The others who have been investigated are vice-president Congress (Delhi) Ali Mehdi, Block adhyaksh of Congress (Delhi) Ashok Baghel, ex-MP Bijnor Shahid Siddiqui and the president of the All India Youth Congress Srinivas BV.
The police sought six weeks to examine the issue and conclude the enquiry, which was declined by the court on the ground that pandemic is raging right now and the police force owes a duty to the citizens.
The high court said it expects the police to conduct a proper investigation in the matter and file a better status report within a week. It also asked the amicus curiae to prepare a report on the issue.
It said the status report shall clearly mention how medicines, which were in huge shortage and sold at higher rates in the black market, were procured by a few people in large quantities.
“How many people have died because of the shortage of these medicines, do you realize that? So fix some responsibility,” the Bench told the police.
