Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has defended the department’s action against a Pune-based sweet shop after the Bombay High Court ordered the FDA to pay ₹5 lakh to its establishment and allow it to resume operations. Mundhe said the department was surprised by the court’s action but felt that the original regulatory action was justified in view of the food safety concerns reported at the establishment.
Mundhe said the FDA was waiting for the written copy of the court’s order before deciding its next legal course. The department would analyze the detailed order and respond with the legal remedies if it required, he said.
“The order in the Pune-based sweets shop case is surprising for us. But the written order is yet to come, and we will see when it comes. But we will use our legal option here,” Mundhe said.
The Commissioner strongly defended the FDA’s decision to suspend the shop’s food licence, pointing to consumers who had eaten products from the establishment and reported illness. Mundhe said a number of people were hospitalised following what was treated as food poisoning and the food sample report was classified as “unsafe”.
“It was a case of food poisoning, and those who consumed the sweets were hospitalised, and the report is ‘unsafe’. So, the action we took was correct; there was nothing wrong there,” Mundhe said. The department will continue to defend its position and will take further legal action based on the court’s written order, and we will take others to court, he said after reviewing the court’s written order.
The dispute stems from the suspension of the Pune sweet shop’s food licence on June 12 after an inspection which found a number of hygiene and sanitation issues. The establishment later submitted a compliance report to the authorities and the FDA conducted another inspection on July 13.
The re-inspection revealed great improvement at the site. The establishment was found compliant with 35 out of 36 parameters examined, resulting in 98 per cent compliance with food safety standards. This led to the continuation of the licence suspension at the Bombay High Court.
The court then set aside the suspension and allowed the shop to resume operation. Within 30 days, it also ordered the Maharashtra FDA to pay ₹5 lakh to the establishment. The order has led the FDA commissioner to stress that the department will look at the judicial findings and decide what is the next step.
The development comes in the context of increased food safety enforcement by the Maharashtra FDA. On August 13, the department conducted a statewide inspection drive of food outlets selling food on online delivery platforms. 86 establishments were inspected in Maharashtra during the inspection operation.
According to the FDA, one establishment was ordered to immediately stop business operations, while 60 improvement notices were issued to establishments where deficiencies were identified. Also, 14 food business licences were suspended with immediate effect as part of the drive.
The inspection campaign also covered milk and dairy products. During the operation, 698 kg of dairy stock valued at ₹34,302 were seized. Also, around 1,270 kg of other food products, such as milk and dairy items, bakery products, and edible oil worth ₹1.29 lakh, were seized.
The FDA also reported action against the illegal sale, distribution and transportation of banned products such as pan masala and gutkha. Ten FIRs were registered in these cases, nine people were arrested and stock valued at ₹46,76,631 was seized, it said.
Mundhe has also called for more involvement from citizens and food businesses in ensuring food safety standards. Regulation alone is not going to guarantee that every food establishment always follows safety rules.
According to the Commissioner, consumers should report suspected irregularities, and food business operators should comply with the prescribed rules. The FDA’s long-term goal should be to create an environment where businesses voluntarily follow food safety standards instead of waiting for regulatory intervention, he said.
Mundhe linked food and medicine safety to the ultimate goal of a healthier India. He said citizens, businesses and regulators have to make sure that food and medicines meet safety and quality standards.
The Pune sweet shop case has also raised the temperature of the issue of the balance between the enforcement of food safety regulations and the rights of businesses that show compliance after corrective action. While the court has ordered the FDA to pay ₹5 lakh and allowed the establishment to reopen, Mundhe’s comments show that the department is continuing to defend what happened in the first place.
The FDA will review the detailed written order once it is available. The next legal steps will be determined by the court’s decision and by the department’s review of the results. And Maharashtra’s ongoing inspection drives underscore the state’s continued commitment to food safety, hygiene and compliance for all food businesses, and to the food industry.
