Doctor received huge amount as commission; Court denies bail to Dr. Praveen Soni in cough medicine case

BHOPAL: Police have said that Dr. Praveen Soni, who prescribed the cough medicine that killed 15 children in Madhya Pradesh, received a huge commission. The doctor received a 10 percent commission from the pharmaceutical company. Sresan Pharmaceuticals, a Tamil Nadu-based Company, manufactured the cough medicine. 15 children treated by Dr. Praveen Soni died after consuming the medicine contaminated with diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic industrial solvent.

The police told the court that the doctor's relatives owned a medical store and stored the cough medicine that caused the children's deaths there. The doctor was arrested by the police in the incident. The police have also arrested the drug manufacturer, G Ranganathan, from Tamil Nadu and brought him to Madhya Pradesh.

The police commission submitted the details to the court while considering the bail application filed by Dr Praveen Soni. The court, observing that the doctor prescribed the controversial medicine even after the government warnings were issued, rejected the bail application. It was found that the doctor did not comply with the warning issued by the Directorate General of Health Services in December 2023. The court then cited negligence and violation of safety guidelines as reasons for denying bail.
The Tamil Nadu government had closed the controversial drug manufacturing company in Chennai. The ED has also started an investigation into the incident.