The Maharashtra government has moved the Bombay High Court against the Union health ministry and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, alleging that the food regulator has created a parallel enforcement system and encroached on the powers of the state’s food safety authorities, The Indian Express reported on Saturday.
The petition, filed through Maharashtra Food Safety Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, challenged a 2023 Food Safety and Standards Authority of India order that, the state claimed, restricted its officials from enforcing food safety laws at businesses holding a central licence.
The state government argued that the 2006 Food Safety and Standards Act was intended to decentralise food safety enforcement, with state commissioners and their officials responsible for enforcing the law.
It alleged that the food standards authority has “usurped” the power of state authorities by appointing central licensing authorities and central food safety officers.
Maharashtra also challenged changes made by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India in March to the turnover limits determining whether food businesses require registration, a state licence or a central licence. The state alleged that these changes were made without first seeking public feedback.
A bench led by Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi on Friday posted the hearing of the petition for November 26.
The action comes amid...