E-Paper
HC seeks reports from Punjab, Haryana on ‘irregularities’ in blood banks
The HC was hearing a 2018 suo motu plea initiated on reports of alleged gross irregularities by blood banks in Punjab and Haryana
: The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Punjab and Haryana governments to submit reports on alleged irregularities into the running of various blood banks in the two states.
“We are constrained to say that irregularly collected blood by the blood banks have been administered to lakhs of people during the pandemic and the disastrous results thereof are not known to anybody and perhaps may never come to light,” observed the high court bench of chief justice RS Jha and justice Arun Palli.
The court was hearing a 2018 suo motu plea initiated on reports of alleged gross irregularities by blood banks in the two states.
The high court recorded its serious displeasure over handling of the matter by authorities in Punjab. During a resumed hearing on July 7, a status report of Drugs Control Officer, Jalandhar-1 was filed informing that on inspection of the blood bank attached to M/s Gulab Devi Hospital, near Kapurthala Chowk, Jalandhar, several irregularities were found pursuant to which the licence of the blood bank has been cancelled.
It further came to light that an FIR was registered on August 4, 2018, at police station, Division Number 2, Jalandhar.
However, later on, a cancellation report was filed on July 4, 2020 by the police before the local court. The judicial magistrate refused to accept the same and asked the Jalandhar police for further investigation. However, the local police again submitted a cancellation report.
“The local court while rejecting the cancellation report has recorded a finding that the police has not investigated the matter properly and has not looked into the fact that the allegations against the accused persons are very serious in nature which were supported by the inspection report and required a thorough investigation,” the bench observed.
It further added that it is evident from the record that pursuant to the newspapers reports, the Central drugs authorities wrote a letter on August 7, 2018 to the Deputy Drugs Controller (I), Solan and the Deputy Drugs Controller (I), Ghaziabad giving details of running of 10 blood banks by the same accused persons in Punjab and Haryana, and a list of as many as 5 hospitals of Punjab and 1 hospital in Haryana, directing them to conduct an investigation.
However, report by Punjab showed that inspite of adverse inspection report and cancellation of the licence of the blood bank and the concerned magistrate not accepting the cancellation report, the police authorities are persisting in filing a cancellation report giving a clean chit to the accused. Now, the joint commissioner, department of food and drugs administration and the director general of police, Punjab have been directed to look into the matter and submit a status report.
Affidavits have also been sought from principal secretary, health and the principal secretary, home department, Punjab.
