India / SC seeks govt's response on PIL seeking to cap RT-PCR test at ₹400

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Union government on a petition filed by lawyer Ajay Agrawal for a direction to the Centre to fix the maximum rate for the RT-PCR test to Rs 400 for all Covid-19 patients uniformly across India.

At present, the RT-PCR test is being fixed between the range of Rs 900 to Rs 2,800 by various state governments, Union Territories and NCT of Delhi. 

A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian sought a response from the Centre and Ministry of Health on a PIL by Bofors-fame lawyer.

Agrawal said that the apex court should pass appropriate directions and orders to the Centre to ensure all states fixed the RT-PCR test at Rs 400 uniformly across the country for Covid-19 patients. 

“There is a big loot by laboratories and they are minting money to the tune of crores and crores of rupees. The margin of profit is as high as 1,400 per cent in Andhra Pradesh and 1,200 per cent in Delhi,” the plea filed by Agrawal claimed. 

“The matter is concerned with 135 crore citizen of the country as everybody worried with the coronavirus and forced to get their test done at this exorbitant price,” the plea said.