RPG Life Sciences has been slapped with Rs. 2 lakh fine by the Supreme Court. The fine has been imposed because the company was selling its products in the market without printing the maximum retail price, 25 years ago.

The pharmaceutical company has been in India ever since its inception and started selling its products at a small level. It was earlier known as Searle India. At that time it used to come out with packaging where the MRP was not printed.

Meanwhile, the judgment by the apex court has over run the three-month imprisonment given to the company by the Madras High Court. The punishment was given to the production and the distribution managers of the company.

Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice Aftab Alam, who were the main judges of the bench, awarded the punishment to the company. Haloperidol is the drug in question.

The drug, which came to market in 1985, had 68 bottles, each containing 100 tablets which were without MRP.

The bench said, "Hence, in this case, the accused (RPG Life Sciences and six others) come under the punishable offence as per Para 20 of the Drug (Prices Control) Order, 1979."