In a major development, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought a high-level probe into the tragic deaths of children allegedly caused by contaminated cough syrups in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

The Bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, questioned the petitioner, advocate Vishal Tiwari, about the frequency of his petitions. When Tiwari admitted to having filed “8–10 PILs”, the Bench curtly dismissed the plea, effectively shutting down the demand for a new probe.

During the proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, present in the courtroom, emphasized that state governments are already taking necessary action.

“Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, etc., will take steps. We cannot ‘not’ trust the states. Of course, they will take steps,” Mehta said.

The PIL had alleged that at least 14 children had died since early September, mostly from Nagpur (Maharashtra) and Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh), after consuming ‘Coldrif Cough Syrup’ manufactured by Tamil Nadu-based Sresan Pharma Pvt. Ltd.. Laboratory tests reportedly detected Diethylene Glycol (DEG) — a toxic industrial chemical banned for pharmaceutical use.

Advocate Tiwari’s plea drew grim parallels with the Gambia and Uzbekistan tragedies, where DEG-contaminated Indian syrups were linked to over 90 child deaths abroad.

“This is not a tragedy of chance but of negligence, apathy, and regulatory failure — an institutional rot that allows adulterated drugs to reach the market unchecked,” the PIL stated.

The petition had demanded a National Judicial Commission led by a retired Supreme Court judge, along with a CBI probe into the deaths. It also sought a nationwide recall of the suspect syrups and an overhaul of India’s drug safety and testing mechanisms.