Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court last week refused bail to two accused in an alleged multi-crore spurious drug racket, holding that the investigation has prima facie revealed an organised conspiracy involving forged licences, fabricated invoices, fake quality certificates and counterfeit medicines supplied through govt procurement channels.|
Justice MM Nerlikar rejected the bail applications of Vijay Chaudhary and Raman Taneja, observing that forensic reports indicated the seized medicines contained talcum powder and starch instead of active pharmaceutical ingredients.
The case arose after medicine samples collected from Kalmeshwar Rural Hospital in February 2023 allegedly failed laboratory analysis, rendering the medicine “spurious” under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
Rejecting Chaudhary’s plea, the court held that the investigation prima facie established he was “the main chain between the manufacturer and persons who obtained the tender from the govt to supply drugs.”
Additional govt pleader Neeraj Jawade contended that Chaudhary allegedly supplied counterfeit medicines using forged purchase bills and invoices bearing the fake GST number of a Haryana-based medical agency that had ceased operations before the alleged transactions.
Justice Nerlikar observed that Chaudhary claimed to have received 4,735 boxes of Recip-500 tablets through purchase records and that his mobile phone contained extensive communication with co-accused Robin Taneja, whose bail was earlier cancelled by the high court and the Supreme Court. He noted that 13 FIRs have been registered against Chaudhary relating to the alleged supply of spurious medicines.
The judge also rejected Raman Taneja’s bail plea after noting bank transfers of nearly ₹20 lakh from Robin Taneja and ₹1.5 lakh from Chaudhary into his account. Investigators also recovered bills relating to medicines allegedly found to be spurious. The court held that Raman, a licensed pharmaceutical trader, could not prima facie be disconnected from the alleged conspiracy and appeared to be “one of the persons in the chain of accused persons.”
Reiterating observations made while cancelling Robin Taneja’s bail, the court described counterfeit medicines as a grave public health threat.
“Spurious drugs are a hidden danger that threaten not only the health of people today, but also the safety and future of generations to come,” the court observed citing its earlier orders, adding that such medicines can cause treatment failure, poisoning and long-term health consequences while eroding public confidence in healthcare.
