Plea in SC seeks action against Ranbaxy

The Supreme Court was moved Wednesday for a direction to the centre to cancel the manufacturing licences of pharma major Ranbaxy and its group companies for allegedly marketing sub-standard medicines.

Petitioner Manohar Lal Sharma, an advocate, sought direction to order closure of Ranbaxy manufacturing units located in Ponta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh and Dewas in Madhya Pradesh and other places under Section 18 the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1947.

Seeking direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation to initiate a probe into the alleged supply of sub-standard medicines and proceed against all the former and the present directors of Ranbaxy, the public interest litigation sought directions to restrain the drug manufacturing company from marketing its medicines in India.

The petitioner sought direction to seize property of all the present and former directors of Ranbaxy as allegedly manufacturing and selling adulterated and spurious drugs.

The petitioner said that the allegation of Ranbaxy marketing sub-standard medicine had already been proved in the US.