The new guidelines to compound minor drug violations that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has released, operationalise a legal change in the works since 2023. Until recently, many instances of relatively minor or technical non-compliance under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, invoked criminal prosecution. If compounding is granted and paid for, the key benefit is “immunity from prosecution” for that case, subject to conditions. For offences based on record keeping and disclosure, compounding prevents needless criminalisation and lets enforcement focus on direr violations. The main pitfalls are the guidelines regressing into a ‘pay and pass’ scheme and the CDSCO’s transparency.

Source: The Hindu January 09, 2026 04:45 UTC