India, March 28 -- The Supreme Court on Friday fined a former health minister Sri Lanka rupees 75 million for violating fundamental rights by importing medicines under an Indian credit line in 2022 through a company not registered for the purpose.

A three-member bench of the island nation's top court gave the ruling in response to a fundamental rights petitions filed by Transparency International and two other parties in what is being seen as Sri Lanka's biggest public health scam case.

While Keheliya Rambukwella, the former health minister, was asked to pay Sri Lanka rupees (LKR) 75 million, the court also asked a group of senior health officials to pay LKR 50 million each to the state for importing medicines through the company which ...