The Delhi high court on Tuesday released the notice in which it instructed the center to display the QR Codes on medicines, food, and cosmetic items. The PIL was filed by the NGO and some of the assistant professors at Delhi University. They cited the same idea intending to provide aid to visually impaired people. These people are not able to examine the written labeling of such products and remained unaware of their details. In the COVID-19 times, similar problems was prevailing largely. People were not able to claim the medicines which were requisite for them.
Thus, a division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad urged the authorities to execute the scheme of QR Codes on the concerned products. The application of QR Codes in medicine would provide the speech regarding the manufacturing, expiry, etc details of the such product[1]. Thus, it would largely help the community of visually impaired people. The court further said that the fixation of these QR Codes would magnify the scope of the effectiveness of medical care to the visually impaired group. The bench also observed its environmental, social, and economic merits as prescribed under the PIL[2]. Additionally, it had also been observed by the court that verbal delivery of speech comprising the details of the product may also be beneficial for those persons who are not proficient in understanding the English language. Hence, the people can also able to consider the speech in their respective regional languages. It will give them a better summarization of the requisite details of the product.
The provision of the QR Codes also safeguards people from fake medicines besides affecting financial loss and damage in the goodwill of the pharmaceutical companies[3].
written by- Aniruddh Atul Garg, a student at ILSR, GLA University, Mathura, 2nd Semester, an intern under Legal Vidhiya
[1] BAR AND BENCH, https://www.barandbench.com/amp/story/news/litigation/delhi-high-court-seeks-central-government-response-plea-qr-code-mandatory-medicines-cosmetics-food-products (last visited 9th May, 2023).
[2] LIVE LAW, https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/delhi-high-court/delhi-high-court-pil-qr-codes-medicinal-food-products-visually-impaired-persons-228292 (last visited 9th May, 2023).
[3] BAR AND BENCH, https://www.barandbench.com/amp/story/news/litigation/delhi-high-court-seeks-central-government-response-plea-qr-code-mandatory-medicines-cosmetics-food-products (last visited 9th May, 2023).
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