Make COVID Vaccines Available At ₹150 By Invoking Price Control Measures: Plea Filed Before Jharkhand High Court

A plea has been moved before the Jharkhand High Court seeking direction to bring COVID-19 Vaccines (Covishield, Covaxin, etc) under price control by invoking Section 3 of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and National Disaster Management Act, 2005. The petition has been filed by a practicing lawyer, Mohammad Mumtaz Ansari and it further seeks direction to fix the price of the vaccines at the rate to Rs. 150/- Submitting, the plea states, "The Central Government has left the fixing of the price of this lifesaving Covid-19 Vaccine on the manufacturer and they have been fixing the price of said vaccine in an unjustified, arbitrary, and unreasonable manner." Likewise, the plea also states that the price of life-saving medical devices such as Oxygen Concentrator, Pulse Oximeter, Ventilator Machine, etc have not been brought under price control and that the manufacturers have fixed the price of such devices in an unjust, unreasonable, and arbitrary manner. Importantly, the plea argues, "That the Covid-19 Vaccines and Medical Devices are Essential Commodities within the meaning of Section 3 of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 whose price should be controlled by invoking the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and National Disaster Management Act, 2005." Further, considering the Health Emergency situation of the country and in the public interest, the plea prays that the price of life-saving Covid-19 Vaccines (Covishield, Covaxin, etc) and Medical Devices like Oxygen Concentrator, Pulse Oximeter, Ventilator Machine etc should be controlled. It has been stated in the plea that the lifesaving Vaccines and Medical Devices have been fixed by the manufacturing companies and the Maximum Retails Price of such lifesaving vaccine and medical devices have been kept very high (sometimes than double) which is unreasonable, unjust, and arbitrary. "The vaccine manufacturing companies have arbitrarily fixed the price of vaccine different for Central Government, State Governments and Private Hospitals which is unjust and unreasonable," the plea further adds. Prayers in the plea: Direction to bring the lifesaving Covid-19 Vaccines (Covishield, Covaxin, etc) under price control by invoking Section 3 of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and National Disaster Management Act, 2005 and to make available these Lifesaving drugs at the rate to Rs. 150/- to all. Direction to bring the Medical Devices like Oxygen Concentrator, Pulse Oximeter, Ventilator Machine, etc under price control, by invoking Section 3 of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and National Disaster Management Act, 2005.

Make COVID Vaccines Available At ₹150 By Invoking Price Control Measures: Plea Filed Before Jharkhand High Court

Sparsh Upadhyay

Tags