# Old Monk maker says Maharashtra lost Rs 300-350 crore in excise revenue 2026-10-12T16:57:38+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Mohan Rocky Springwater Pvt. Ltd, the maker of Old Monk rum, told the Bombay High Court on Monday (12 October 2026) that Maharashtra has lost between Rs 300 crore and Rs 350 crore in excise revenue since its Khopoli factory shut down in May. Livemint reports the company's senior counsel Venkatesh Dhond told the court that about 300 workers at the unit have been left idle. Barandbench reports Dhond also said the company has suffered over Rs 500 crore in losses. The dispute stems from an FSSAI ban on Old Monk sales after lab tests found external flavouring substances, which the regulator says misrepresent the product under the 2018 Alcoholic Beverages Regulations. The company says the same rum is sold in other states without issue, and that talks with the regulator failed after its revised labels were rejected. The court will hear the matter next on 23 October. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both outlets report the same core fact: the company told the court that Maharashtra lost excise revenue due to the Old Monk ban. The disagreement is in the exact figure, with Livemint reporting Rs 300 crore and Barandbench reporting Rs 350 crore. Barandbench also adds that the company itself lost over Rs 500 crore, a detail Livemint omits. The framing is otherwise uniform, with both outlets neutrally reporting the company's arguments, the FSSAI's position, and the next hearing date of 23 October. A balanced reading notes the discrepancy in the excise figure, which likely reflects different parts of the submission or rounding. The key open question is whether the court will accept the company's revised labels or uphold the FSSAI's stance when it hears the matter on 23 October. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - livemint.com (neutral report) Reports company's claim of Rs 300 crore loss, FSSAI position, and court proceedings without slant. - barandbench.com (neutral report) Reports company's claim of Rs 350 crore loss and Rs 500 crore company loss, also neutral. This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Bombay High Court, FSSAI, Maharashtra, Mohan Rocky Springwater, Old Monk Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/old-monk-maker-says-maharashtra-lost-rs-300-350-crore-in-excise-revenue/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/old-monk-maker-says-maharashtra-lost-rs-300-350-crore-in-excise-revenue/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/