HC pulls up drug control official over licence row

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday reprimanded the Drugs Control authorities for cancelling a blood centre's licence while proceedings concerning its functioning were pending before the court, accusing the department of taking advantage of judicial leniency. Justice Krishna Rao expressed displeasure after being informed that the licence of Life Care Medical Foundation had been cancelled following an earlier dispute over its outdoor blood collection camps. The court had previously directed the foundation to cooperate with the department's inquiry and asked the authorities to complete the probe within a week. The judge noted that the department had earlier complained that the foundation was withholding documents, following which the court had specifically directed the centre to provide the required records and access for the investigation. The state defended the action, citing deficiencies found during the inquiry, including in the centre's in-house blood collection. The foundation sought a stay on the cancellation and permission to resume operations. The court declined interim relief and fixed the matter for Thursday.