The High Court (HC) today directed the government to remove all the date-expired drugs from the pharmacies across the country and destroy those in a month.

The court directed the authorities concerned of the government to submit a report before it after complying with the order by July 16.

The HC bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahsan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader came up with the order following a writ petition filed by Barrister Mahfuzur Rahma Milon, executive director of Justice Watch Foundation, seeking necessary order in this regard.

He submitted the petition to the court yesterday (Monday) following reports published in different newspapers.

According to the reports, Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection has found date-expired medicines in 93 percent of the pharmacies in the capital where it conducted drives over six months.

Today, the court also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain in four weeks why their inaction to remove the date-expired medicines from the pharmacies should not be declared illegal.

Health secretary, home secretary, law secretary, industries secretary, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, director general and deputy director of National Consumer Rights Protection, inspector general of police, president and general secretary of Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries and editors of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo have been respondents to the rule.

The Daily Star and Prothom Alo editors have been asked to submit a report to the High Court on the authenticity of the reports they published in their dailies on June 11. 

Barrister ABM Altaf Hossain appeared for the writ petitioner.