Why India-UK FTA may push medicines out of ordinary Indians’ reach https://thefederal.com/category/business/why-india-uk-fta-may-push-medicines-out-of-ordinary-indians-reach-198364
India is set to sign an FTA with the UK on July 24; most details are public except the IPR chapter, The IPR chapter may include provisions like evergreening of patents, extended patent terms, and data exclusivity, potentially raising medicine costs and limiting access for ordinary Indians.
Big Pharma advantage: Leaked drafts suggest the deal could weaken safeguards, block public objections to patents, and protect pharmaceutical monopolies far beyond global norms (TRIPS), benefitting multinational drug companies.
“The module ‘Pratibimb’ maps locations of criminals and crime infrastructure on a map to give visibility to jurisdictional officers. The module also facilitates seeking and receiving of techno-legal assistance by Law Enforcement Agencies from I4C and other SMEs. It has lead to arrest of 10,599 accused, 26,096 linkages and 63,019 Cyber Investigation assistance request,” the MHA said in its reply.
23/07/2025
While the high court does not explicitly call the 12 men “innocent,” the opening remarks strongly suggest their innocence. The judgment, while dismantling the prosecution’s case point by point, places extra emphasis on the various torture techniques used to extract confessions from these 12 men. 7/11 Judgment Fails to Hold Police Accountable For Custodial Torture, Lost Time of Those Acquitted - The Wire
Abdul Wahid Shaikh, one of the first persons to be acquitted by the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court in 2015, names nearly 100 policemen and medical officers who wronged him and the other 12 incarcerated individuals. In his book Begunah Qaidi, he details the extent of the brutality and exposes how confessions have traditionally been extracted, particularly in cases involving torture.
India has had a poor track record on custodial torture and has compounded the issue by refusing to take responsibility for correcting police behavior or holding officers accountable. India has long evaded its responsibility and failed to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT).
by Sukanya Shantha
23/07/2025