‘Do you feel you are a lord?’ Bombay HC slams FDA, clears reopening of 5 eateries
The Bombay High Court ordered the reopening of five restaurants at the Mumbai Cricket Association premises after the FDA refused to lift license suspensions despite a successful compliance inspection. The court criticized the FDA for taking a pedantic approach and warned officials against further non-compliance.
Why it matters
The ruling underscores the judiciary's role in checking bureaucratic overreach and ensuring administrative actions are based on pragmatic compliance rather than procedural rigidity.
NEW DELHI: The Bombay high court on slammed the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA), warning of contempt action against officials after the department refused to lift the suspension of food licences of five restaurants at the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) premises despite a fresh inspection finding them 88% compliant with food safety rules.“Tired of scolding the department and officers,” the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad said the FDA had taken a “pedantic instead of pragmatic view” despite the court’s earlier direction to reconsider the matter. The court ultimately vacated the suspension orders, allowing the five eateries at the MCA premises in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to reopen.The MCA had challenged the FDA’s decision to suspend the restaurants’ licences over alleged hygiene violations and issues relating to third-party operations.
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