Adar Poonawalla has been in constant news and controversies since he and his organization started the production of the Covishield vaccine to help the country and its countrymen in a battle against the deadly coronavirus situation which is taking the lives of so many people. Many of the countrymen are in hospital and many unfortunate ones haven’t been able to get a bed in the hospital. The condition in the country is threatening with the medical system disrupted, and the economy going down with people losing their jobs.
There was so much chaos in the country and it was then the CEO of Serum Institute of India, Pune, Mr. Adar Poonawalla came up becoming a lifesaver by producing vaccines in order to run a vaccination drive for his countrymen to help them fight and be safe from this virus.
Adar Poonawalla has been in media and everyone’s eyes are on him since he is doing something which is being talked about and discussed at the world level.
He is the chief of one of the two companies that have taken up the responsibility of the production of vaccines. Adar and his company are engaged in producing the AstraZeneca- Oxford vaccine Covishield while the other company – Bharat Biotech is busy with the production of Covaxin.
Adar was in the news when he charged different prices from the state governments and the private hospitals and was accused of thinking about making profits when his countrymen are dying and when his country is in such a big crisis. Then he left the country saying that he has been under constant pressure and has been facing threats from the most powerful people including the politically involved people of the states and the country.
He said that he was being blamed for everything and he and his company are doing their best, trying their maximum efforts to stand with the government in this tough and disturbing time.
After Adar left for London with his family, a Mumbai-based lawyer Datta Mane filed a petition in the Bombay High Court asking for the Z-plus security for Adar Ponnawalla and his family saying that he was shocked when he came to know that the CEO of Serum Institute of India which is doing such a big work is being threatened and is under so much pressure that he had to leave the country.
He slammed saying that Adar Poonawalla has become a lifesaver for India and its people and he should be given Z plus security so that he and his family feel safe and he can focus on which is the most important work – to produce vaccines. Bombay High Court on the petition has now asked the Maharashtra government to tell what to do on a petition asking for Z-plus security for Adar Poonawalla.
The High Court even said that the one who has filed this petition, now while fighting for this matter has to remember the fact that India maintains a good reputation and any such hearings and judgments will have an impact on the international level since the father of CEO Cyrus Poonawalla had made a statement where he slammed all the news that Adar has fled the country and said that he was on a yearly summer vacation which he takes with his family in order to take a break and spend some family time.
He said that Adar has not run away from the country, he is spending time with his kids who study abroad and will be back soon. A vacation bench of Justices SS Shinde and NR Borkar has said that Adar Poonawalla has been doing some great work and is serving the nation in a very positive and appreciable way. They further said that the CEO had already been granted the “Y” category security and given the level of work he is doing for the country, if found necessary he will be given more security by the state.
The plea has been posted for further hearing on June 1. The bench also wanted to know what locus (standing) did Mane have in filing this petition. To this, the advocate of Mane Pradeep Hanvur said that any person in the country can set a criminal law in motion.
Now, we can just wait and watch what new unfolds in Adar Poonawalla’s story and whether he would be granted the Z plus security and if given, whether he would come back to his country or not?
