Uttarakhand HC grants protection to accused from arbitrary arrest

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand High Court has granted protection to executives of Max Corporate Services from arbitrary arrest in connection with the alleged fake

Covid testing scam during the Haridwar Kumbh Mela and asked the agency to join the investigation.

Justice N S Dhanik on Wednesday granted protection to the accused from arbitrary arrest in the scam after the Delhi-based agency's partner Mallika Pant went to the court on behalf of the agency challenging the FIR against it, the petitioner's

counsel Kartikey Hari Gupta said.

However, the court asked the agency to cooperate in the investigation and appear before the investigation officer in the case on Friday, he said.

An FIR has been lodged against Max Corporate Services and two ICMR-accredited labs it had engaged -- Nalwa Laboratories and

Dr Lal Chandani Labs Limited -- for allegedly conducting around one lakh fake COVID-19 tests during the Haridwar Kumbh Mela using random phone numbers.