Representational image of the Supreme Court of India
A public interest petition seeking an independent investigation by a judicial commission or an expert committee to probe the cough syrup deaths, which have claimed the lives of 22 children in Madhya Pradesh, was short-lived in the Supreme Court on Friday (October 10, 2025).
A Bench of Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran dismissed the plea while asking advocate-petitioner Vishal Tiwari how many times he had filed PILs in his legal career.
Mr. Tiwari had primarily sought a centralised investigation. He said Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, where the now-banned Coldrif syrup manufacturer is located, were trading barbs, blaming each other for the deaths, while precious time was passing without any substantial steps taken in the investigation by the States.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was present in the courtroom for another case, intervened and said that though he did not represent any States, “we must trust the States”.
“Tamil Nadu would take steps,” Mr. Mehta submitted. He said the petitioners, like Mr. Tiwari, read the newspapers and approached the court without any background material or evidence.
The petition filed by advocate Mr. Tiwari had also sought a transfer of the FIRs to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). It had sought a comprehensive inquiry into the manufacture, regulation, testing and distribution of contaminated cough syrups containing Diethylene Glycol, a toxic chemical used in industrial solvents, and suggestions for the safe manufacture of these medicines.
The plea had urged the apex court to seize the present stock of the now-banned Coldrif syrup and ban their sale or distribution. It said the stock must be tested for toxic clearance and verified at NABL laboratories.
A government doctor, who allegedly prescribed Coldrif, linked to the death of several children in Madhya Pradesh, was arrested with the police lodging a case against him and the Tamil Nadu-based manufacturer.
The Madhya Pradesh Police has already formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case, while the State Government suspended Dr. Praveen Soni, a paediatric specialist at the Civil Hospital in the Parasia sub-division in Chhindwara district, accused of prescribing the adulterated syrup — Coldrif — to many of the deceased children at his private clinic.
An FIR was also registered against Coldrif manufacturer, Sresan Pharmaceuticals, based in Tamil Nadu’s Kancheepuram, under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 105 and 276, and Section 27A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
Published – October 10, 2025 12:32 pm IST
