BS RAWAT
After a Delhi High Court order, the Central government has disconnected e-pharmacies from Aarogya Setu mobile app which is a public-private-partnership initiative and listed several e-pharmacies and telemedicine services.

A plea filed by a Chemists and Distributors Association, said the website, www.aarogyasetumitr.in, is linked to the official mobile application Aarogya Setu in a “highly illegal, arbitrary and discriminatory manner” as the website promotes and acts as a marketing tool for e-pharmacies only.

The court said there is no basis for a government owned platform to be used to promote private commercial ventures.

It said the criteria for getting listed as a vendor on the website is that the entity should be an e-pharmacy, which is “arbitrary, without any intelligible differentia, wholly illegal and discriminatory.

Justice Jayant Nath, who conducted the hearing through video conferencing, asked the central government to file the reply and listed the matter for further hearing on June 9.

J.S. Shinde, president, All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists said, “Chemists and druggists are opposing online pharmacies and several high courts have issued orders against the functioning of e-pharmacies.”

“Even though the issue of online pharmacies is being challenged in the courts, Centre’s decision to promote them is not right,” Mr Shinde said.