Case filed against Harsh Vardhan for not stopping black marketing of masks, sanitizers

Soaring prices of masks, hand-wash and sanitizers have forced a man hailing from Bihar's Muzaffarpur to lodge a complaint against the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. The case has been lodged at the CJM court in Muzaffarpur.

Muzaffarpur (Bihar): A petition was filed on Wednesday before a court here accusing Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan of failing to put a check on "black marketing" of face masks and hand sanitizers, the demand for which has spiked in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, sales of hand sanitizers have soared. It’s become such a sought-after product that pharmacies and supermarkets have started limiting the number that people can buy at one time.

The complainant, a social activist, Tamanna Hashmi (35) hailing from Muzaffarpur alleged that the government has failed in containing the high prices of masks, hand-wash and sanitizer required which are essential for the prevention of the disease.

Copy of the complaint

"The masks, hand-wash and sanitizer get either out of stock or overpriced. Earlier, a normal mask was priced at Rs 20-50, but now it costs around Rs 500 for the same mask. A common man cannot afford these items as it becomes uneconomical for them", alleged Hashmi.

Copy of the complaint

"Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has clearly failed to check black marketing of these items and appears to be abetting the same," the petitioner has alleged

Meanwhile, the advocate Manoj Kumar Singh said, "A case has been lodged under section 406, 506, 420, 120(B) of the Indian penal code."

India on Wednesday reported its third coronavirus fatality with a 63-year-old dying in Mumbai, Health Ministry officials said as the number of positive cases rose sharply to 147 and more parts of the country shut down to stem the spread of the infection.