KOCHI: The High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to conduct periodic inspections and supervision of all eateries selling shawarma. During inspections, if it is found that any vendor, hotel, or restaurant is selling shawarma in violation of the court’s directives, immediate and strict action, including licence cancellation and legal proceedings, must be initiated without delay.
The court also emphasised taking stringent action against those violating its orders in this regard.
The court further directed the state government to pay Rs 25,000 as litigation costs to the mother of the deceased.
Justice Devan Ramachandran issued the order while disposing of a petition filed by Prasanna E V of Kasaragod, seeking strict enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The petitioner also sought Rs 1 crore as compensation for the death of her daughter, who passed away after consuming shawarma from an eatery at Cheruvathur in Kasaragod in 2022.
The court instructed the Additional Sessions Court in Kasaragod to urgently consider granting compensation to the victim’s parents under Section 65 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. This process must be completed within two months, as per the directive.
The petitioner pointed out that eligible compensation had not yet been offered by the government. The government responded by stating that the trial in the case is still pending before a subordinate court.
However, the High Court noted that Section 65 of the Act mandates that either the adjudicating officer or the court must provide compensation to the victim or their legal heirs within six months of the incident. Given that the petitioner’s daughter died in 2022, the statutory timeline appears to have been violated.