The Uttarakhand government directed the Haridwar district administration to register a case against private laboratories accused of conducting fake Covid tests during the Kumbh Mela.
Twenty-two private labs, mainly based in Delhi and Haryana had been hired by the government to conduct testing at 5 places in Haridwar during the festival.
The Haridwar district administration ordered a probe after reports emerged that over one lakh fake tests were conducted during the religious gatherings.
The labs reportedly conducted the fake tests to meet the daily testing quota of 50,000 tests set by Uttarakhand High Court.
Payment to these labs has been withheld for the time being due to the ongoing investigation