MUMBAI:
Serum Institute of India (SII)
CEO Adar Poonawalla
has informed Bombay high court that he “has not made requests for
Z plus security
and does not endorse demands for Z plus security made on his behalf or for him by anyone”.
The statement was sent to the HC registrar on June 10 via a written covering letter through lawyers Parinam Law. It sought permission to make his statement in a criminal writ petition by lawyer Datta Mane for directions to the state government to grant him Z plus security, citing news reports on alleged threats to him for additional
Covishield vaccines.
A bench of Justices S S Shinde and N J Jamadar was hearing the matter, where advocate Pradeep Havnur for Mane, had sought security, saying SII’s vaccines are life-saving. The petition did not come up for hearing on June 10 due to paucity of time. On Friday, it was disposed of. The order is yet to be uploaded.
In its June 1 order, the HC bench of Justices Shinde and Abay Ahuja said it was furnished with a police report dated June 1, which stated that pursuant to the petition, a request for Z category security for Poonawalla was made, and he was provided with Y category security, consisting of CRPF jawans, in addition to two police constables provided by the
police commissioner
, Pune.