Supreme Court bins pleas for probe into Covid jab side-effects

The Supreme Court dismissed a PIL seeking an investigation into alleged side effects of the Covishield vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford and produced by Serum Institute of India. The petitioner demanded compensation for affected families and a review of the Covid vaccine policy. The bench emphasized that vaccines helped manage the pandemic and urged against sensationalizing the issue.

NEW DELHI: SC on Monday dismissed a PIL seeking probe into alleged side effects of Covishield , a vaccine developed by UK-based AstraZeneca & Oxford University and produced in India by the Serum Institute of India, saying it is an attempt to create some sort of sensation. Petitioner Priya Mishra, through her counsel, told a bench of CJI D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that "there are increasing demands for compensation for family members of people who died allegedly due to the vaccine's side effects and to review the Centre's policy behind Covid vaccines as well as liability for death caused and/or serious side effects of Covishield in India." The bench asked the counsel whether he was vaccinated and did he suffer any side effects.

When the counsel said he was vaccinated and did not suffer any side effects, the bench said, "Let us now close this issue. Because of the vaccines, we were able to deal with the pandemic. Do not try to sensationalise it.

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