MUMBAI: A face-off has emerged between the Bombay High Court and Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Tukaram Munde over hygiene inspections of eateries, after the court questioned the FDA’s selective action against private establishments and directed it to inspect government and semi-government canteens, including those at Mantralaya and the High Court premises.
Munde has launched a campaign against adulterated food, milk, and unhygienic hotels and restaurants, issuing notices and sealing several city-based famous and branded eateries for alleged violations of FDA norms.
The Bombay High Court expressed displeasure over the FDA commissioner’s high-handed action and asked him to first issue show-cause notices before sealing restaurants, canteens, and hotels if they fail to comply with the directions. The court even told Munde, “Be realistic and we are in India”.
The court said the FDA cannot be selective while carrying out food safety inspections of restaurants and hotels. It directed the agency to inspect all government and semi-government eating establishments, particularly canteens at Mantralaya, the state secretariat, and the High Court, and submit the status of the inspections along with video recordings.
The court was not satisfied with the FDA targeting private and small eateries while sparing government establishments.
The Bombay High Court Bench of Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad questioned whether the agency was discriminating between government and private institutions while conducting inspections.
Following the court’s remarks, an FDA team inspected the Bombay High Court premises. During the inspection, officials allegedly found that two canteens were operating without the required Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences.
The operations of these canteens were suspended, while the third canteen, which had the required licence, was issued an improvement notice.
Following the High Court’s order, the FDA, accompanied by four lawyers, inspected the Mantralaya canteen, including the kitchen, drinking water arrangements, cleanliness, and overall hygiene.
Officials also reviewed food quality, sanitation practices, canteen management, and compliance with food safety regulations.
The court questioned the FDA’s cleanliness certificate issued for the Mantralaya canteen and stated that the photographs and videos submitted by the agency were not from the Mantralaya canteen but from the private eatery Poornima. It even remarked that a “shoes stand” was cleaner than the Mantralaya canteen.
While appreciating the work carried out by the FDA, the court asked the agency to remain impartial while taking action against establishments. It also stated that due process must be followed before sealing any eateries.