Kriti Agrawal
On Thursday, Bombay High Court declined to hear a PIL filed by a city lawyer and three law students asking the Supreme Court to order Covid-19 vaccine makers Serum Institute of India (which makes Covishield) and Bharat Biotech (Covaxin) to sell their vaccines at uniform prices.
The petition, filed by lawyer Fayzan Khan and others, asked the High Court to order vaccine manufacturers to sell doses at a uniform rate of Rs 150 per dose.
HC said, “The Supreme Court (which is hearing Suo motu PIL on Covid management) has said issues that have pan-India effect will be dealt with by it. Vaccine pricing is a phenomenon applicable all over India and we are not entertaining it (the PIL) as SC has fairly covered it.”
The court instructed the petitioners to seek relief from the Supreme Court, following which their lawyer, Vivek Shukla, said that they would withdraw the PIL from the HC.