SC grants Centre more time to disclose clinical trial data on Covid-19 vaccines

The Supreme Court on Monday granted further time to the Centre to respond to a plea for disclosure of data in Covid-19 vaccines clinical trial and recording and reporting of adverse events after the administration of the jab.

A bench presided over by Justice L Nageswara Rao allowed a plea by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta seeking more time to file an affidavit in the PIL filed by Dr Jacob Puliyel, a former member of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.

Mehta sought three weeks time, saying the Centre was yet to file its affidavit.

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The top court had on August 9 issued notice to the Centre in the matter.

On Monday, advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, contended that the matter should be heard urgently as "illegal" vaccines mandates were being issued and people were losing their jobs.

Mehta countered him, contending, "we don't know whose interest petitioner was representing. Let the country proceed with the vaccination the way it was going on."

The bench put the matter for consideration on November 29.

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The petitioner sought direction from the government to make public the segregated data of the clinical trials for the vaccines that are being administered to the people under the Emergency Use Authorisation granted by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

It asked the court to direct the government to disclose the post-vaccination data regarding adverse effects, on people who got infected with Covid, those who needed hospitalisation and those who died after such infection post-vaccination.

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