HC moved to declare Covishield unsafe

The Madras High Court on Friday ordered notice on a plea moved by a business consultant seeking to declare ‘Covishield’ as unsafe and provide a compensation of Rs 5 crore based on the side effects suffered by him after volunteering for a trial in Chennai.

Justice Abdul Quddhose before whom the plea came up ordered notice to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, DCGI, Director General, ICMR and CEO, SII returnable by March 26.

The petitioner Asif Riaz of Anna Nagar West Extension had submitted that on October 1, he was administered the trial vaccine at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, but on October 11, he woke up with a severe headache and was vomiting and had to be rushed to a hospital. He was discharged on October 26 stating that he had suffered ‘Acute Encephalopathy’. But the medical tests done to connect his neurological setback to his earlier health conditions had failed, confirming that the setback was due to the vaccine.

He also submitted that the agencies involved were bent on claiming that it was not the vaccine which was behind the side effect and that SII resorted to intimidate him by threatening to file a Rs 100 crore defamation suit. The petitioner also noted that the trauma he underwent clearly proves that the vaccine is not safe and that all stakeholders are trying to unethically trying to brush it aside as inconsequential.