Jurisdiction dispute erupts over inspection of medical shops

Koppal: A jurisdictional dispute has cropped up over the inspection of medical shops in parts of the region, with a drug expert and legal professional asserting that only officials of the state drug control department are authorised to inspect licensed pharmacies.The issue came to the fore following recent inspections of medical stores in Hosapete by Vijayanagara deputy commissioner Kavita Mannikeri, SP S Jahnavi and other officials in connection with allegations of misuse of narcotic substances.During the inspections, shop owners were warned against selling medicines without a valid doctor's prescription. They were also directed to display department-issued signboards prominently and to maintain drug sale records both digitally and in physical registers. Authorities cautioned that strict action would follow violations related to sale of drugs without prescriptions.Reacting to the raids, Gangavathi-based drug expert and advocate Ashokswamy Herur said such inspections by police and district administration officials are not permissible under the legal framework governing pharmaceutical trade.In a complaint submitted to the director general and inspector general of police (DG & IGP) and the state chief secretary and home secretary on May 2, and again on May 4, Herur alleged that the inspections amounted to harassment of licensed drug traders.Citing the Supreme Court judgment in Ashok Kumar Sharma vs Union of India (2020), he said the power to inspect medical stores is vested exclusively with designated drug control officials.Herur argued that pharmacies operate under specialised laws that require technical oversight by qualified drug inspectors. Inspections by police or administrative officials, he noted, create fear among shop owners and may disrupt the supply of essential medicines.He has urged the state government to issue a clear circular directing all deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to ensure that inspections of medical stores are conducted strictly by officials of the drug control department.