New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a public interest litigation seeking a judicial or expert-led inquiry into the cough syrup deaths that have claimed 22 young lives in Madhya Pradesh. The plea, filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, had called for a centralized investigation and transfer of the FIRs to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), arguing that state-level investigations were slow and entangled in blame games between Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The bench, comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, questioned the petitioner’s history of filing PILs and noted that the court could not act solely on newspaper reports without substantial evidence.

The controversy centers around Coldrif, a now-banned syrup manufactured by Sresan Pharmaceuticals in Tamil Nadu, which contained Diethylene Glycol, a toxic industrial chemical. Several government and private doctors allegedly prescribed the contaminated syrup, resulting in multiple fatalities. The Madhya Pradesh Police have already set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case, while state authorities suspended Dr. Praveen Soni, accused of prescribing the syrup to many of the deceased children. An FIR has also been registered against the manufacturer under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, present in court for another matter, urged the bench to trust the states to conduct their investigations, emphasizing that petitioners should provide concrete evidence before approaching the apex court. Meanwhile, authorities have seized the remaining stock of Coldrif for testing and verification at NABL-certified laboratories. The case has sparked a nationwide debate on drug regulation, quality control, and the need for stricter monitoring of pharmaceutical manufacturers to prevent further tragedies.