Now Reading: Bombay HC raps FDA for ‘killing a mosquito with a sword’ in Amazon case
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Bombay HC raps FDA for ‘killing a mosquito with a sword’ in Amazon case
Bombay HC raps FDA for ‘killing a mosquito with a sword’ in Amazon case
The Bombay High Court on Friday sharply criticised the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cancelling Amazon Retail India's warehouse licence, saying the agency was trying to 'kill a mosquito with…
The Story in Brief
The Bombay High Court on Friday sharply criticised the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cancelling Amazon Retail India's warehouse licence, saying the agency was trying to 'kill a mosquito with a sword'. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad heard Amazon's appeal against the suspension of its Bhiwandi warehouse licence.
The FDA suspended the licence on June 25, a day after inspecting the warehouse and allegedly finding 1.5 tonnes of expired food items worth Rs 1.68 lakh. It later issued a show-cause notice and cancelled the licence while Amazon's appeal was pending. The court said this violated settled law and urged a more measured approach. The matter will next be heard on August 10.
The Indian Opinion
The FDA deserves credit for cracking down on food safety violations, but the Bombay High Court is right to insist on procedure. Shutting down a business without an improvement notice, then cancelling its licence while an appeal is pending, is not enforcement; it is overreach that will hurt honest operators. The industry's fear of heavy-handedness is understandable. The real test is whether the FDA follows the court's guidance and issues improvement notices first, or continues to act as judge and executioner. Will it recalibrate its approach by the next hearing?
Sources (2): livemint.com, hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
