Supreme Court PIL seeks national framework to combat fake medicines

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court of India seeking a uniform national framework to combat the manufacture and sale of fake and adulterated medicines. Filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, the petition calls for stricter penalties, including the confiscation of assets from manufacturers and financiers under laws such as the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The plea demands that central and state governments implement time-bound investigations—within three months—and trials—within one year—for drug-related crimes. It also proposes mandatory videography of search and seizure proceedings and a graded sentencing policy to deter organized syndicates.

The legal action follows reports of a counterfeit medicine racket in Karnataka, where a licensed pharmacist allegedly supplied fake cancer drugs and critical-care injections to over 90 hospitals. The petition argues that the current Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, lacks sufficient provisions for forensic examination, witness protection, and the prosecution of large-scale criminal networks.