PIL Seeks Centre’s Response on QR Codes for Medicinal Food Products

New Delhi, May 9 : The Delhi High Court has requested the central government’s stance on a public interest litigation (PIL) that advocates for the affixation of QR codes on all medicinal and food products to enhance accessibility for the visually impaired. A bench comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad issued notices to the central government, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, and Drugs Technical Advisory Board in response to the petition filed by The Kapila and Nirmal Hingorani Foundation, along with Dr. Smriti Singh and Shobhan Singh, who are visually impaired. Representing the petitioners, lawyer Aman Hingorani explained that smartphones equipped with accessibility features could scan the QR codes present on the products, allowing the visually impaired to access the necessary information in speech format. The court was informed that the government had already mandated the affixation of barcodes or QR codes on certain medicinal products last year, which demonstrated the feasibility and capability of incorporating QR codes on various products. The petition, filed through lawyer Shweta Hingorani, emphasized that the implementation of QR codes would enhance medical care for visually impaired patients by reducing errors in medication, incorrect dosages, unintended drug interactions, and counterfeit or substandard medicines. Furthermore, the petition highlighted the constitutional and fundamental rights of visually impaired individuals to equality and a life with dignity, emphasizing the potential of smartphones and QR codes to help them identify products and access relevant information. The plea stated, “In order to secure effective access to medicines, food, cosmetics, and other consumer products, it has become imperative and expedient to affix Quick Response (QR) codes in a proper manner and containing the requisite information so that a smartphone with accessibility feature could then scan the QR Code with its stored data or information about the particular product, and decode it to convert the text to speech format of the application.” The petition also pointed out the absence of comprehensive measures or guidelines in the country regarding the affixation of QR codes on various products, suggesting that the respondent authorities have failed to address this issue adequately. The petition seeks directions from the court to the central government to take comprehensive measures, including affixing QR codes, to ensure effective access to medicines, food, cosmetics, and other consumer products for visually impaired individuals.