Now Reading: Supreme Court quashes Rs 5 lakh compensation against FDA
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Supreme Court quashes Rs 5 lakh compensation against FDA
The Supreme Court on Monday, 5 October 2026, set aside a Bombay High Court order directing the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation to a Pune sweet shop, M/s Gurunanak Dairy & Sweets. The FDA had suspended the shop’s licence in June following a food poisoning complaint and an inspection that found hygiene, labelling and sanitation deficiencies. A sample of Malai Pedha was declared unsafe.
The Bombay High Court on 17 August revoked the suspension and directed the FDA to pay Rs 5 lakh for the business losses. The state government appealed, arguing the FDA acted promptly, without malice, and that the law bars compensation in such cases. The Supreme Court accepted the state’s submissions and quashed the compensation, holding the FDA action was in the interest of public health.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Times of India reports the Supreme Court quashed costs the High Court ‘saddled’ the FDA with, and notes the FDA commissioner is Tukaram Mundhe. Free Press Journal, India Today, Mid-Day and The Hindu all report the court held the FDA action was in the public interest. The Times of India alone omits the ‘public interest’ justification and leads with the FDA’s relief. Free Press Journal and The Hindu add that the shop’s statutory appeal was pending before the FDA Commissioner. The coverage is otherwise uniform factual reporting. The Supreme Court’s order leaves the regulatory suspension and the pending appeal intact.
Coverage: 5 sources, 1 pro-government, 4 neutral
Sources (5): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), freepressjournal.in (pro government), indiatoday.in (neutral report), mid-day.com (neutral report), thehindu.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
