The high court, which was dealing with the issue of Sputnik V vaccine, also said going by the rule book to save human lives in these extraordinary times may be in jeopardy and “one has to look at the bigger picture".
The Delhi High Court observed on Wednesday officers sitting over untapped potential to make Covid-19 vaccines need to be charged with "manslaughter" as it is leading to so many deaths.
‘Lot of scope and infrastructure for manufacture of vaccine in India’
Government officials who are sitting on the “untapped potential” of India to manufacture COVID-19 vaccine should be charged with “manslaughter”, the Delhi High Court warned on Wednesday.
“There is a lot of scope and infrastructure for manufacture of vaccine in India. And this matter, you (Centre) must really consider. This untapped potential has to be utilised. Your officers are not realising this,” a Bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice Najmi Waziri said.
The court’s observation came while hearing a plea of Delhi-based Panacea Biotec, which has sought the release of an arbitral award passed in its favour and against the Centre, saying it needs funds at the earliest in the larger interest of humanity as it has already manufactured trial batches of Sputnik V vaccine in collaboration with Russian Direct Investment Fund and wants to scale it up.
The court said the Centre should expedite the process of clearing samples of Panacea Biotec which has collaborated with Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) for manufacturing Sputnik V here.