A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday, October 7, seeking urgent judicial intervention and a court-monitored probe into the rising number of children’s deaths linked to contaminated cough syrups.
The plea calls for mandatory quality checks on all cough syrups currently in circulation and demands that existing stocks be seized immediately. It further urges the court to form a national judicial commission or expert committee to monitor the investigation and seeks the transfer of all related FIRs to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure uniformity and accountability.
MP bans two more cough syrups
The Madhya Pradesh government has expanded its crackdown by banning the sale of ‘Relife Syrup’ and ‘Respifresh TR Syrup’, after an investigative report revealed the presence of Diethylene Glycol (DEG) — a toxic chemical exceeding permissible limits. Both syrups were manufactured in Gujarat, and the MP government has written to the Gujarat authorities demanding a detailed probe.
Death toll rises
The crisis deepened after an 18-month-old girl from Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, died at a Nagpur hospital on Monday night (October 6) due to kidney failure caused by the intake of Coldrif cough syrup. This tragic incident pushed the death toll to 15 in Madhya Pradesh.
In Rajasthan, no new deaths have been reported, with the toll holding steady at three.
The Central government has already banned the Coldrif batch found contaminated with DEG and is coordinating with state authorities to prevent further casualties. Advisories have been issued nationwide to ensure strict monitoring of pharmaceutical quality standards.
Disclaimer: The information provided is for public awareness purposes only. It is based on ongoing investigations and official government statements.
