The stay on the operation of the Pharmaceutical Policy 2002 and the announcement of the new Drug Prices Control Order (DPCO) 2002 by the Karnataka High Court on the basis of a public interest litigation (PIL) has brought into focus the debate on the power of the judiciary. The government has moved the Karnataka High Court asking for a vacation of the stay on the operation of the Pharmaceutical Policy 2002.
The matter is scheduled to come up for hearing on August 14, 2002. According to the government, a PIL cannot be filed questioning the pharmaceutical policy as