The High Court has observed that those who are linked to the production, sale and distribution of spurious medicines should be given either a life or a death sentence.
The bench of justices FRM Nazmul Ahasan and KM Kamrul Kader remarks came on Tuesday (Nov19) after the submission of a report titled ‘Adopted actions on counterfeit medicines’ in court.”
The court has fixed Dec 12 for the next order on the issue.
The hearing for writ appeal was by lawyer ABM Altaf Hossain; the state was represented by Deputy Attorney General ABM Abdullah-Al-Mahmud Bashar while the Directorate of the National Consumer Rights Protection was represented by Advocate Kamruzzaman Kochi.
During the hearing, the court said: “If fake medicines are found in the same pharmacy twice then case has to be lodged; those associated with counterfeit medicines should be handed life term or death sentence.”
On Jun 11 last, a newspaper report titled “93 percent of medicines in pharmacies are expired” was published, and based on that, lawyer Mahfuzur Rahman Milon lodged a writ at the High Court.
After the destruction of all counterfeit medicines, the court asked for a report on the market.