Oxytocin production banned for private players from July 1
New Delhi, June 27: The government, which has banned the import of oxytocin formulations and restricted its manufacture to the public sector only from July 1, on Wednesday said state-run Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (KAPL) will produce it for domestic use.
"The oxytocin formulations meant for domestic consumption will be supplied by the manufacturer, i.e. KAPL, to the registered hospitals and clinics in public and private sector directly," the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement.
"All the registered hospitals and clinics in public and private sector in the country are advised to contact KAPL and place their orders with the company as the drug will not be available with retail chemists or any other manufacturer," it added.
The decision taken under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 is aimed to check misuse of oxytocin, a reproductive hormone found in mammals that increases the contraction of the uterus during labour and stimulates ejection of milk into the ducts of the breasts.
The hormone, sometimes referred to as the 'love hormone', was being widely misused across the country to make vegetables look fresher and bigger, and to make cattle produce more milk thereby harming both humans and animals.
The ministry, in an earlier statement in April, said the manufacture of oxytocin formulations for export purposes can be done by both public and private sector provided all the products carried barcodes.
The manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), the part of the drug that produces its effect, of oxytocin will supply the API only to the public sector manufacturers in case of domestic use but also to private sector in case of export purpose, the ministry had said.
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K’taka HC judge whose controversial remarks triggered controversy expresses regret before open court
Bengaluru: Karnataka High Court judge, Justice V Srishananda, on Saturday expressed regret in open court after facing backlash over his controversial remarks in his recent court hearings, reported Bar and Bench.
Two purported video clips from Justice V Srishananda’s court hearing that show him making inappropriate comments went viral across social media platforms.
On Saturday, Justice Srishananda invited members of the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and senior lawyers to his courtroom at 2:30 PM, where he read out a note expressing regret for inappropriate comments.
Quoting Advocates Association President Vivek Subba Reddy, Bar and Bench wrote, “He expressed regret for the comments and clarified that it was not his intention to offend any community or members of the Bar. He also requested the association to relay this message to all members of the Bar.”
Reddy further stated, “We also advised him to encourage young lawyers in the courtroom and refrain from making any irrelevant remarks during hearings.”
Another senior lawyer present during the session confirmed to the legal news portal that Justice Srishananda also addressed comments directed at a woman lawyer, who was seen in one of the videos being reprimanded by the judge. The judge Justice Srishananda clarified that his remarks were not intended to target her (woman lawyer) specifically, but rather pertained to the appellant she was representing. “He explained that his comment was meant to imply that the appellant seemed to know a lot about the other party,” said the lawyer.
In addition, Justice Srishananda assured those present that he would avoid making such comments in the future.
The controversy came to light on September 19, when a video clip from an August 28 Court hearing surfaced on social media, showing Justice Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in Bengaluru’s Goripalya as "Pakistan." Hours later, another video from the same courtroom emerged, in which the judge was seen making a gender-insensitive remark.
Following outrage over the viral videos, a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, along with Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, on September 20 took a suo motu cognizance and sought a report from the Karnataka High Court Registrar General in connection with the viral video.
