SC notice to Centre on homeopathic meds

New Delhi, March 14 : The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre after hearing a PIL filed by a group of doctors and science comm cators, challenging the Ayush Ministry’s advisories and guidelines that empower the State in prescribing Arsenic Album 30 as imm ty booster. A two-judge bench headed by Justice Vineet Saran and comprising Justice Aniruddha Bose, issued the notice seeking detailed response on the Public Interest Litigation. Senior advocate Anand Grover, Advocate-on-Record (AOR) Prashant Padmanabhan appeared for the petitioners. The petitioners have sought for an appropriate direction prohibiting the Government (state or on) in any manner from administering the homeopathic medicine (Arsenic Album 30) or any other homeopathic medicines, in mass manner to any section of the population, particularly the children and the elderlies, over 65 years of age. The petitioners have pointed out the position in countries like Australia, the US, the UK and France and annexed various peer reviewed scientific studies and research articles to buttress their point. The petitioners sought a declaration that the Guidelines, Advisories and Fact Sheets issued by the respondents, including the on of India (UOI), permitting the administration of homeopathic medicine like Arsenic Album 30 as a Covid 19 prophylactic is in violation of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. The petitioners sought a direction for calling for the case records and after going through the same quash and set aside the order passed by the UOI on November 18, 2021. SM ING