MP News: Gwalior High Court Summons Principal Secretary Sandeep Yadav, Collector Ruchika Chauhan

Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): The Gwalior High Court took a stern view of the continued, uncontrolled misuse of the banned drug Oxytocin in local agriculture and poultry, issuing a contempt notice to the Principal Secretary of the Health Department, Sandeep Yadav and Gwalior Collector, Ruchika Chauhan.

The single bench questioned why this dangerous practice persists despite a clear court order for a complete ban on its sale and use issued over a decade ago, in September 2013.

Advocate Awadhesh Singh Bhadoria, representing petitioner B.P. Singh Rajawat, informed the court that the Oxytocin injection is still being used to accelerate the growth of various vegetables like bottle gourd, watermelon and potatoes, as well as in poultry farms.

Alarmingly, the court was told that the banned injection is being sold freely at local grocery stores and farmers are spraying it directly on crops. The petitioner highlighted the serious health threat posed by the open sale of Oxytocin-laced produce, which is a direct violation of the 2013 court directives. The court has now demanded accountability for the failure to enforce the ban effectively.