Plea Seeking Z+ Security For Adar Poonawalla & His Family Filed In Bombay HC

In an interview with 'The Times', Adar Poonawalla indicated that he had been allegedly receiving threats in India and he left India because of it.

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New Delhi: Citing there are threats to Poonawalla's life, lawyers have filed a please in Bombay HC seeking Z+ security for the Chief Executive Officer of the Serum Institute of India (SII) which manufactures Covishield vaccine on Wednesday. 

The plea was filed by the same lawyer, Datta Mane, who registered an FIR against the people who are allegedly threatening Poonawalla.

"If Adar Poonawalla is out of India, due to fear to his life, then it will be ship in storm without its captain" the plea stated. The plea said that Poonawalla's life and assets of SII "which is world's biggest vaccine producing institute which produces COVID-19 vaccine namely Covishield" should be protected.

Earlier, in an interview with 'The Times', he indicated that he had been allegedly receiving threats in India and that he along with his family had come to London after unprecedented "pressure and aggression" over the demand for COVID-19 vaccines.

Mane told The Times of India, that Poonawalla left for United Kingdom due to fear and constant pressure from powerful people including Chief Ministers of States and business tycoons for supply of vaccine according to media reports.

According to a Bar & Bench report, Mane sought the following in the plea - Directions to the Commissioner of Pune Police and Director General of Maharashtra Police to register an FIR against complaint filed by Mane & direct respondents to provide 'Z Plus' security cover to Poonawalla and his family members and also protect the assets of SII.

Mane claimed that complaint was filed with the Commissioner of Pune Police and the Director General of Police, Maharashtra earlier. He further stated that the Maharashtra government had requested Poonawalla to register a complaint so that action could be taken against such people pressurising him.

Mane contended that Poonawalla is entitled to these relief claims as he is the manufacturer of a life-saving vaccine available right now, Covishield. 

"Failure to contain the pandemic in India could have disastrous consequences with widespread cases and thousands of death that could easily overwhelm the health care infrastructure," it was submitted.