Supreme Court Dismisses Plea Seeking Judicial Probe Into Cough Syrup Deaths in Madhya Pradesh
New Delhi, October 10, 2025: A public interest litigation (PIL) seeking an independent judicial or expert committee probe into the cough syrup tragedy that claimed the lives of 22 children in Madhya Pradesh was dismissed by the Supreme Court on Friday.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran questioned the petitioner, advocate Vishal Tiwari, about how many PILs he had filed in his legal career before dismissing the plea.
Mr. Tiwari had sought a centralised investigation into the deaths, pointing out that Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu — where the now-banned cough syrup Coldrif was manufactured — were blaming each other, while no substantial progress had been made in the probe.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was present in court for another matter, intervened and stated that though he was not representing either State, “we must trust the States.” He remarked that such petitions were often filed based on newspaper reports without sufficient background or evidence.
The petition had also requested the transfer of FIRs to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and called for a thorough inquiry into the manufacture, regulation, testing, and distribution of contaminated syrups containing Diethylene Glycol — a toxic chemical used in industrial solvents. It further sought the seizure and laboratory testing of the existing stock of Coldrif syrup.
In Madhya Pradesh, police have arrested a government doctor, Dr. Praveen Soni, a paediatric specialist at the Civil Hospital in Parasia, Chhindwara district, who allegedly prescribed the contaminated syrup. The State government has suspended Dr. Soni and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.
An FIR has also been registered against Coldrif manufacturer Sresan Pharmaceuticals, based in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, under Sections 105 and 276 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 27A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.