New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Kerala government on a plea seeking constitution of an independent expert committee for studying the efficacy of Intradermal Rabies Vaccines (IDRV) administered to human beings.

A bench comprising Justices C T Ravikumar and Rajesh Bindal asked the state government to file its reply within four weeks.

"The petitioners are permitted to serve standing counsel for the State of Kerala and Union of India respectively. It is submitted by the counsel for the petitioners that notice was already served upon the office of Solicitor General.

"Taking note of the seriousness of the issues involved, we request the ASG and also the Standing Counsel for the State of Kerala to get instructions and file response expeditiously within a period of four weeks," the bench said.

The top court was hearing a plea filed by the Kerala Pravasi Association and others which also sought the constitution of an independent expert committee to study the effectiveness of the rabies veterinary vaccine administered to dogs in the country.

The petition said has also sought directions for wide publicity and ensuring proper and uniform implementation of the National Guidelines for Rabies Prophylaxis, 2019. PTI