Actor Sonu Sood files plea, denies hoarding COVID-19 medicines

Bombay HC had asked in a PIL hearing how actors and MLAs appeared to have access to medicines in short supply

Actor Sonu Sood on Tuesday filed a plea before the Bombay High Court and denied all allegations of hoarding or distributing COVID-19 medicines. The application was filed seeking permission to intervene in a public interest litigation filed by advocate Sneha Marjadi and activist Nilesh Navlakha concerning COVID-19 management by the State and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Previously, the court had asked how actors and MLAs had access to medicines that seemed to be in short supply. Mr. Sood in the affidavit states that he had formed an NGO — Sood Charity Foundation — to help doctors, health workers, migrant workers, poor and needy with free meals, medicines and hospital beds, etc. He went on to state that he had provided free lodging and boarding facilities at his hotel in Juhu for doctors, nurses and health workers. Mr. Sood states that he started ‘Shakti Anandanam’ to provide free meals to 45,000 people per day during the first wave of the pandemic. He also went on to state that he had coordinated with various State governments and other authorities in relief work, and coordinated to help migrant workers get back home. Mr. Sood also claimed that he had sought to create opportunities to provide 3 lakh jobs.