In a significant development in the Collectorganj codeine cough syrup case, an Additional Sessions Court in Kanpur on Saturday dismissed the bail applications of three accused individuals. The accused include Shivam Agarwal and Prabhat Khare, who had applied for regular bail, and Surabhi Srivastava, who had sought anticipatory bail. The court's decision came after hearing arguments from both sides.
Details of the Case
According to Bhaskar Mishra, the additional district government counsel, the Agarwal brothers, who run a pharmaceutical company in the Collectorganj area, had purchased approximately 31,15,065 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup from nine different companies. Subsequently, they sold around 30 lakh bottles to several fake companies. The investigation revealed that some of the purchasing companies had ceased operations years ago, while others provided fake or non-existent addresses. Additionally, certain companies were found to be unregistered.
Accused's Plea and Court's Decision
All three accused, in their bail applications, claimed innocence and alleged that they had been falsely implicated in the case. They argued that their names were not mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR) and that the police had registered a case against them without proper basis. However, the presiding judge, after thoroughly examining the evidence and hearing the arguments, dismissed their bail applications, citing the seriousness of the offense and the need for further investigation.
The case has drawn attention to the illegal trade of codeine-based cough syrups, which are often abused as recreational drugs. The court's decision underscores the judiciary's stance against such pharmaceutical frauds that pose a threat to public health.
