India's Supreme Court has sharply criticised pharmaceutical companies for charging patients up to ten times the retailer price for essential cancer medicines, describing the practice as "broad daylight dacoity" — a term evoking armed robbery. The court expressed alarm that one cancer drug carried a maximum retail price of ₹27,000 (approximately $325) despite being supplied to retailers for just ₹2,700, and questioned why regulatory authorities had remained silent on the matter. The case, which also raises questions about doctors' failure to prescribe cheaper generic alternatives, will return for further hearing on 29 September 2026.