The High Court on Thursday ordered the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) to provide Tk 15 lakh as compensation to 104 children’s families each who died between 1982 to 2009 taking adulterated paracetamol syrup.
The HC bench of Justice Md Ashraful Kamal and Justice Razik Al Jalil passed the order after hearing on a writ petition filed in this regard in 2010.
The court directed DGDA to collect the compensation money from individuals and organisations concerned complying with the order.
Senior advocate Manzil Murshid represented the petitioner’s side along with advocate Ripon Baroi, advocate Eklas Uddin Bhuiyan, advocate Sanjay Mol and Advocate Shahin Ara Laily while advocate Md Asaduzzaman appeared for the accused.
From 1982 to 1992, a total of 76 children died after drinking adulterated paracetamol syrup and in 2009, 28 more died after taking pracetamol syrup produced by Rid Pharmaceuticals.
In 2010, human rights organisation Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) submitted a writ petition in public interest attaching the reports published in different newspapers.
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The court held the final hearing on a rule issued over this writ petition on Thursday, said Manzil Murshid.
The court also announced DGDA’s inaction to control adulterated medicines illegal and asked it to take action against the crimes of adulterating medicines under the Special Power Act, he said.
Md Shafiqul Islam, then supervisor of DGDA, filed a case against five people including the owner of Rid Pharma over the death of 28 children in 2009 at Dhaka Drug Court. But the court acquitted all of the accused in this case after trial.
The death of 76 children between 1982 to 1992 due to kidney failure sparked huge outcry. Later lab test and probe revealed presence of toxic element Diethylene Glycol in paracetamol syrup produced by Polycam Laboratories and four other companies.
In 1993, DGDA filed a case against five people including owner of Polycam Laboratories Abdur Rab but the trial in the case came to a halt after the accused moved High Court.
After 26 years, the court sentenced Abdur Rab one year imprisonment in the case.