JUDGMENT :

S. RAVINDRA BHAT, J.

"Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall. A mother's secret hope outlives them all." --Oliver Wendell Holmes.

1. This common judgment disposes of a batch of writ petitions challenging the validity of a notification; the writ petitioners complain that the impugned notification endangers the lives of pregnant women and young mothers. The said notification [GSR 411(E) : dated 27.04.2018 (hereafter "impugned notification"]was issued by the Union of India and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (the first two Respondents, referred to variously as "MHA" and "UOI" respectively), acting through the third respondent in exercise of the powers under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (hereafter the "Act").The notification prohibited the manufacture and distribution for domestic use, of the essential drug OXYTOCIN injection for human use, by private sector companies, including the Petitioners. The Petitioners also challenge the validity of an Office Memorandum dated 21.05.2018 in File No. X-11026/103/2018-BD (Annexure P-31-he