Anadi Tewari
A writ petition has been moved before the Bombay High Court seeking Z+ security for the manufacturers of the Covishield vaccine, the Serum Institute of India (SII) Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla and his family.
The criminal writ petition filed by one Mumbai based lawyer Datta Mane who has sought the high court’s directions to the Commissioner of Pune Police and Director General of Maharashtra Police to register an FIR against those issuing threats to the CEO of the Serum Institute of India and dur thee provide ultimate protection to the assets of Serum Institute of India.
“If Mr Adar Poonalwalla is out of India due to fear to his life, then it will be Ship in Storm without its Captain. Mr. Adar Poonawalla and SII have become lifesavers of the Indian population, and hence the Government must protect them,” the petition stated.
This move comes after when Mr. Poonawalla in an interview with The Times has stated that he has been receiving threat calls from some of the powerful men in India.
“Threats is an understatement. The level of expectation and aggression is really unprecedented,” Mr. Poonawalla stated to The Times.
The petition relied upon certain media reports that stated that Mr. Adan Poonawalla left for the United Kingdom due to fear and constant pressure from powerful people, including chief ministers and top business tycoons, for the supply of Covidshield vaccines. “He was shocked and surprised when Poonawalla claimed in an interview that he was being threatened by powerful people,” the plea stated.
The petition relied on certain data and stated that there is a huge challenge to get 1.3 Billion people vaccinated. India has till date only vaccinated 2% of the total population and about 98% of the population is going to be vaccinated by the government.
“If vaccine makers are threatened with life, then they will not be able to produce a vaccine to its fullest resources. The chief ministers have indulged into giving threats; hence the court-monitored security protection is required to be given,” the petition prayed before the Court.
It is to be noted that Mr. Poonawalla has already been provided with ‘Y’ level security cover but as according to the petition, this security cover is a mere eyewash and is inadequate since Mr. Poonawalla has already left India to the United Kingdom.
“If their lives and properties of serum institute are not protected, it will lead to a chaotic situation about vaccination and will ultimately lead to loss of lakhs of lives,” the petitioner claimed citing Mr. Poonawalla as the lifesaver for India and SII as the only manufacturer of Covishield vaccine in India.
The petitioner has also stated that he has also filed a complaint with the Commissioner of Police, Pune, and the Director General of Police by email on May 3 but till date no action has been taken by any of the concerned authorities.
Prayer before the Court
By virtue of writ of mandamus,
The Court should direct the Commissioner of Pune Police and Director General of Maharashtra Police to register an FIR against complaint filed by the Advocate on May 3.
The Court should also direct the concerned authorities to manage Z+ security for Mr. Adan Poonawalla.