The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a public interest litigation seeking directions to restrain the Union government from conducting any further clinical trials of rotavirus vaccine in the country. Rotavirus vaccine protects children against viruses causing severe diarrhoea, mainly among newborn babies.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath, rejecting the petition, said no case of violation of any statutory provision was made out in the plea and no case was made out to prove that the disclosure of the segregated data of clinical trial was essential in public interest.
The PIL was moved by Jacob Puliyel, a member of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), seeking to restrain the Centre from taking up phase IV trials in which over one lakh children would be administered the vaccine.