"Do you realise what dent it has caused to the country's image?" the Supreme Court on Thursday (February 19, 2026) asked a pharmaceutical firm whose cough syrups allegedly resulted in death of more than 18 children in Uzbekistan.
A Bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi refused to quash an order which summoned the firm and some of its officials on a complaint alleging various violations, including the manufacture and sale of drugs declared "not of standard quality".
Cough syrup deaths | India seeks details from Uzbekistan on investigations
"Only for the sake of money, you indulge in this? The nation's image is dented due to this," the Bench said. The counsel for the firm and its officials said there was nothing on record to show that consumption of the syrup has caused any death.
"Do you realise what dent it has caused to the country's image?" the Bench asked. The top court refused to interfere with the Allahabad High Court verdict that had dismissed the pleas filed by the firm and some of its officials, who had challenged a January 2024 summoning order passed by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar.
