NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a PIL seeking a court-monitored investigation into the deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan allegedly caused by toxic cough syrups.The petition calls for systemic reforms in drug safety mechanisms and a probe under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge to “ensure fairness and uniformity,” PTI reported.A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and K Vinod Chandran took note of lawyer Vishal Tiwari’s submission that the plea required urgent attention. The court has scheduled the hearing for October 10.The PIL requests that all pending FIRs and investigations related to the cough syrup deaths across states be transferred to the CBI. It also seeks the creation of a National Judicial Commission or Expert Committee, led by a retired Supreme Court judge, to oversee the probe.According to the petition, separate state-level investigations have caused fragmented accountability, allowing hazardous formulations to repeatedly enter the market. The plea urges the central government to identify regulatory failures and mandates toxicological testing of all suspect products through NABL-accredited labs before any further sale or export.The tragedy initially struck Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, where several children died after consuming a specific cough syrup.The deaths spread to neighbouring Betul and Pandhurna districts, with the toll rising to 21. Chhindwara alone reported 18 fatalities, while five children remain critical in Nagpur.