12 Kolkata: Calcutta HC on Thursday asked the Bengal health department why it had not taken immediate steps to withdraw stocks of Ringer's lactate solution made by Paschim Banga Pharmaceutical after a govt arm had ordered the company to stop manufacture on Dec 10 last year.
This lack of immediacy was "disturbing", the division bench of CJ T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya said, ordering state govt to compensate the family of Mamoni Ruidas, who died on Jan 10.Saif Ali Khan Health Update'Still trying to process': Kareena's first reaction after husband stabbed'Attacker was in son Jeh's room': Saif Ali Khan's staff shares shocking detailsSaif Ali Khan attacked: 20 police teams formed to search for accusedThe court was hearing PILs that alleged Ruidas's death — a month since the stop-work order — was due to the suspect saline.
The Siliguri regional office of Directorate of Drugs Control, a govt arm, had sent out the stop-manufacture order to pharma company Paschim Banga Pharmaceutical on Dec 10.
The Calcutta HC bench of Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya was told by Phiroze Edulji, the lawyer for one of the petitioners, that the company was banned for three years by another state govt last March, and that Bengal govt had been informed about this.
The bench also directed the state to "adequately compensate" the family of Ruidas.
Advocate general Kishore Datta informed the bench that the remaining stock had been withdrawn. The company's lawyer also said that that they had stopped manufacturing the particular solution after the suspension notice was issued.
The CJ said the health department should have frozen all stocks of the medicine the moment the order had been issued. The AG replied that the difficulty was over how to replace 30,000 units, which were already sent to state facilities, overnight.
The court noted that action was taken by the Directorate of Health Service, Central Medical Store, on Jan 14, 2025 — by which a direction, banning all drugs manufactured by the company, had been issued to all medical colleges and hospitals.
The CJ said both PILs had flagged the important issue of safety and health of Bengal's citizens, particularly those who use govt-run medical hospitals.
The deputy solicitor general, representing the Union of India, told the court that action had been taken by the Centre and that the factory had been sealed and notices issued to the company concerned.
The bench directed the chief secretary to file a report on the incident. Central authorities were also directed to file a report on the action taken against the pharma company.
After Ruidas's death and the deterioration in health of four other women, state govt had formed a 13-member panel to investigate the matter. The AG told the court that CID was conducting investigation into the complaint lodged by the victim's family.