2 min readNew DelhiMar 18, 2026 04:18 AM ISTThe next hearing is scheduled for May 21. (Source: AI Generated)The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought a response from the country’s drug regulator on a plea seeking contempt proceedings against it for not responding to concerns over the approval process for GLP-1 class of drugs, to which semaglutide, a weight loss drug developed by Novo Nordisk, as it nears the end of its patent protection in India, also belongs.The court on Tuesday issued notices to the Drugs Controller General of India, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, and the Health ministry, following a contempt petition filed by Pune-based health influencer Jitendra Chouksey. The next hearing is scheduled for May 21. Chouksey has argued that the regulator has failed to act on concerns he raised last year regarding the approval and sale of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. These concerns include the waiver of India-specific clinical trials under the New Drugs and Clinical Trial Rules, 2019, gaps in pharmacovigilance, regulatory inconsistencies and aggressive marketing practices.A division bench of the court had disposed of his earlier petition in July 2025, directing him to submit a formal representation to the regulator and instructing authorities to decide on it within three months, after consulting experts and other stakeholders, including drug manufacturers.In his contempt petition now, Chouksey said that “no decision has been taken nor communicated” on his representation, despite eight months having passed. He added that “no speaking order, no formal decision, and no consultation report has been placed on record”, rendering the court’s earlier direction “ineffective”. “The failure to render a decision has allowed regulatory uncertainty and alleged statutory inconsistencies to persist,” he said.Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More © The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:delhi high court