Akanksha Singh-
On June 16, the Bombay High Court had expressed concern over Assembly Member, Zeeshan Siddiqui and Bollywood actor Sonu Sood “acting like a massiah” who might end up in the distribution of fake COVID-19 medicines.
Sonu Sood has now gone to the Bombay High Court, seeking his intervention in a PIL related to the illegal supply of COVID-19 drugs.
Sood filed an intervention application in a COVID-19 related petition regarding hoarding and alleged unauthorized distribution of antiviral drugs, remdesivir and tocilizumab.
He has alleged that the petitioner is trying to destroy his charitable work, and has accused the petitioner of trying to defame him. To the observer, Sonu Sood has been one of the few Bollywood celebrities who have been at the forefront of India’s fight against COVID-19, from helping stranded migrant workers reach home to those in need of financial help and providing them medical assistance.
The report said that a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice GS Kulkarni would hear the matter. In the last hearing, the Bombay High Court asked the Maharashtra Government to investigate the role of MLA Zeeshan Siddique and actor Sonu Sood on the distribution of remdesivir injections. The court’s remarks were in response to the State’s contention that the investigation against ‘The Sonu Sood Foundation’ is still on.
The application for the inquiry was filed by petitioner Nilesh Navlakha through advocates Rajesh Inamdar and Pankaj Kandhari where they pointed out the people who contacted Bollywood celebrities and politicians via Twitter when they failed to get Remdesivir through legitimate official channels.
“It is submitted that people’s representatives and celebrities should ensure that people don’t have to come to them and ensure that the provision essential medicines are assured in the public health facilities provided by the State. It is expected of them to in fact aid and guide such persons to proper channels and mechanism as set by the State and assist the State in fulfilling its obligations and not make people dependent on them for any gains be it political or personal,” Navlakha’s plea said.
The actor that he had been helping people since the very beginning of the pandemic and after the second wave of pandemic people approached him for Remdesivir and Tocilizumab. The petition states that the actor decided to help after being sympathetic to the plight of the critically ill patients and their relatives, who were trying hard to procure life-saving medicines.
It was mentioned in the application that the actor had never stored or hoarded any drug and claimed that the main problem, according to him was a lack of coordination between the places having the drugs and needy patients, while he merely played the part of a conduit.