The High Court has ordered the Directorate General of Drug Administration of DGDA to pay Tk 1.5 million to every family of the 104 children who died after consuming adulterated paracetamol syrup in two separate incidents.
A High Court bench of Justices Md Ashraful Kamal and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil issued the directive after disposing of a rule on Thursday, reports bdnews24.com.
In the verdict for the two incidents that date back to 31 years and 13 years, the court said the DGDA cannot avoid liability for the deaths of children due to adulterated medicine.
The court asked the drug directorate to claim the compensation money from the companies and individuals involved with the production of the unrefined medicines. The High Court also questioned the DGDA’s inaction in controlling the medicines and directed to take action.
In 1991, as many as 76 children died after consuming impure paracetamol syrup manufactured by Adflame Pharmaceuticals.
At least 28 other children died due to the consumption of adulterated syrup produced by Rid Pharma in 2009.
In 2010, the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) filed a writ petition with the High Court seeking swift trial and proper steps in these cases.
Lawyer Manzill Murshid, who stood for HRPB, said: “We told the court that the citizens’ right to stay alive is a fundamental one, but many have died due to adulterated drugs.
“Although there is a provision in Section 25 of the Special Powers Act to take action over this, it is often not effective. But the court gave a proper verdict hearing us out today.”
Judicial courts have announced verdicts in both cases.
The then DGDA superintendent Shafiqul Islam filed a case with Dhaka Drug Court over the 2009 incident accusing Rid Pharma Managing Director Mizanur Rahman and four others. In 2016, the drug court acquitted all the accused in the case.
Authorities traced the presence of poisonous Diethylene glycol in the drug in the case over the 1991 incident, where many children were admitted to hospital with kidney issues. A case was filed two years later.
DGDA Inspector Abul Khair Chowdhury filed the case against Adflame Pharmaceuticals. The drug court sentenced the organisation’s owner and two others to 10 years in jail.
