The Delhi High Court has given major relief to India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir by quashing the criminal case that accused him, his charitable foundation, and his family members of illegally stocking and distributing COVID-19 medicines during the pandemic. The verdict brings a clean chit for Gambhir, who had been facing allegations of hoarding COVID-19 drugs at a time when the capital was battling shortages.
High Court clears Gambhir in Covid-19 drug case
The matter revolved around accusations that Gambhir and his foundation had procured and distributed COVID-19 medicines without proper licences. In her order, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna issued a brief but decisive statement, saying “criminal complaint quashed”, providing complete relief to Gambhir and the other accused.
This ruling came after a petition was filed challenging the summons issued by a trial court against Gambhir, his wife Natasha Gambhir, his mother Seema Gambhir, and the foundation’s CEO Aprajita Singh. All of them had been named in the case, along with the Gautam Gambhir Foundation, which was accused of unauthorised procurement and public distribution of medicines during the height of the pandemic. The complaint against them had originally been filed by the Delhi government’s Drug Control Department. At the time, Gambhir was the Member of Parliament representing East Delhi.
Legal background and court proceedings
The case invoked Section 18(c) read with Section 27(b)(ii) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Section 18(c) prohibits the manufacture, sale, or distribution of drugs without an appropriate licence, while Section 27(b)(ii) lays down penalties for distributing or selling drugs without a valid licence. Punishment under this section can include imprisonment of three to five years along with a monetary fine.
The legal battle has stretched over several years. The High Court first halted the trial court proceedings in September 2021 and asked for a response from the Delhi Drug Control Authority after Gambhir and the foundation challenged both the complaint and the summons. Although the stay was lifted by the High Court on April 9, Gambhir later filed a fresh plea seeking to withdraw that order.
Counsel for the Drug Control Department opposed the plea, arguing that Gambhir should have approached the sessions court instead of going directly to the High Court. The prosecution maintained that the accused had distributed the medicines without a licence, and their only defence was that they did not sell them.
