E-commerce firm booked in Mumbai for selling abortion kit illegally

By Team Newsable | First Published May 2, 2022, 6:58 PM IST

The 'Medical Termination of Pregnancy' kit was supplied by a seller who had registered with the e-commerce firm using documents of a drug store in Odisha. The package reportedly also did not have a bill for the sale.

A leading e-commerce firm has been booked by the Mumbai Police based on a complaint lodged by the Maharashtra Food and Drug administration for allegedly selling abortion medicines without medical prescription or other valid documentation.

A Medical Termination of Pregnancy or MTP kit is a 'Schedule H' drug under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. According to the law, the kit can only be sold based on a prescription of a registered medical practitioner.

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Based on an internal complaint, the Maharashtra FDA placed an order on the e-commerce website for the kit and received a courier parcel containing the product.

According to reports, the kit was supplied by a seller who had registered with the e-commerce firm using documents of a drug store in Odisha. The package reportedly also did not have a bill for the sale.

Ironically, the product label clearly states that -- as specified under MTP Act 2002 MTP Rules 2003 -- the drug should not be used without the supervision of a service provider in a medical facility.

Based on the complaint filed by the FDA, a case has been lodged in Mumbai's Bandra area. The e-commerce firm has been booked under sections of the Information Technology Act and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The sections include:

Section 18 A-6: Penalty for manufacture for sale or for distribution, or stock or exhibit or offer for sale any cosmetic containing any ingredient, which may render it unsafe or harmful for use under the directions indicated or recommended.

Section 18 C and 27 (B) (2): Penalty for manufacturing for sale distributing any drug or cosmetic without a license issued for such purpose under this Chapter.

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