New Delhi, May 17 : The Delhi High Court on Monday pulled up the city police for giving clean chit to nine politicians, including Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president BV Srinivas, saying the political leaders have no business hoarding medicines used in the treatment of coronavirus infection at a time when citizens are suffering and facing a shortage of such drugs.

A bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi was hearing a petition by Dr Deepak Singh alleging hoarding of medicines by political leaders and seeking a probe into medical mafia -politician nexus.

Political leaders have no business hoarding stocks. If they intend to do public good, then they should give it to Director General of Health Services (DGHS) and they will distribute to needy”, the high court said, even as it declined a Delhi police request to allow a court-ordered seizure of stocks. The seizure, the court pointed out, was a legal exercise and had to be taken by the law.

The Delhi police pleaded for more time to complete the probe; the high court granted it one week to do so.

The high court will next hear the case on May 24, by when it has directed the Delhi Police to file a status report showing how medicines were procured in “such large numbers by a few persons.”(UNI)