Ensure there is no sale of ‘misbranded products’: HC to Uttarakhand govt

A division bench gave the direction while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation filed by a Rishikesh-based social worker.

Updated on: Jun 28, 2018, 22:09:15 IST

Hindustan Times, Nainital | By Neeraj Santoshi, Nainital

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The Uttarakhand high court has directed the state government to ensure that no misbranded products such as soft drinks and beverages, including water, are sold in Uttarakhand.

The high court has also directed the chief medical officers of all districts to inspect markets and ensure that no misbranded product is sold in Uttarakhand. (HT File Photo/Representative image)

A division bench of justices Rajiv Sharma and Lok Pal Singh gave the direction while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Sunil Dutt Sharma, a Rishikesh-based social worker, in 2015. The order was issued on June 19 but its copy was made available on Wednesday.

Pramod Bailwal, counsel for the petitioner, said that the Sharma had alleged that Rakesh Singh, a resident of Rishikesh, was manufacturing and selling lemon soda and cold drinks without any authorised branding in gross violation of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (Packaging and Labelling) 2011.

Citing the petition, the HC order noted that Singh had installed a unit with no name and title.

“There is no manufacturing agency label, rate, date of manufacturing and expiry on the bottles in the shops and open trolleys. The beverage is consumed by all the citizens. The state government has not taken any action to check this menace,” the order said.

The HC said that according to the counter affidavit filed by the authorities concerned, the food and drug testing laboratory in Rudrapur had submitted a report on June 30, 2015, indicating that the samples of the carbonated lemon soda did not conform to the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (Packaging and Labelling) rules and that the product was found to be “misbranded”.

The court said that the report was sent to Singh. “It is the statutory duty cast upon the state government that no person manufactures, misbrands or sells any product which is injurious to health. The products must conform to the norms laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (Packaging and Labelling) 2011.

CMOs to inspect markets

The HC has also directed the chief medical officers of all districts to inspect markets and ensure that no misbranded product is sold across Uttarakhand. The order said that strict action will be taken against persons selling misbranded items by taking samples every seven days. The HC has directed the chief medical officers to order the closure of units running illegally in Uttarakhand.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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