New Delhi, Nov. 7 -- The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant bail to paediatrician Praveen Soni, who was arrested in October 2025 for allegedly continuing to prescribe Coldrif cough syrup linked to the deaths of 26 children in Madhya Pradesh, observing that the case was too serious to warrant his release at this stage. A bench, comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, declined to entertain the plea, pointing out that charges had been framed against Soni only recently and that the stockist involved in the case was his relative, suggesting possible connections that required closer scrutiny. "This is not a case of bail. You will have to wait. Charges have been framed just recently. And the stockist happens to be your relative. There are some connections," the bench told senior advocate Siddhartha Dave, appearing for Soni. When Dave argued that his client had only prescribed the medicine and was neither its manufacturer nor involved in its production, the bench underscored the gravity of the allegations, particularly given his professional qualifications. "Children died...it is very serious. Twenty-six children died. The fact that you are a qualified doctor is all the more serious," remarked the bench. "Unless you can prove absence of requisite knowledge, it is a case of life imprisonment," said the court....