Bombay High Court orders Maharashtra FDA to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation for wrongful licence suspension of Pune sweet shop

The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration to pay Rs 5 lakh in compensation to a Pune-based sweets retailer, finding the agency wrongly kept the shop's licence suspended for over a month even after it achieved a 98 percent compliance score in a reinspection. The court criticized the FDA's handling of the case as "torturing citizens" and ordered the immediate reinstatement of the business's licence.

The case involves Gurunanak Dairy and Sweets, whose food licence was suspended by the FDA on June 12 following a complaint of food poisoning. An initial inspection had identified minor hygiene and maintenance lapses. The shop's owner subsequently approached FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe and took steps to address the deficiencies. On July 9, the shop submitted a compliance report stating all shortcomings had been rectified.

An FDA reinspection was conducted on July 13. The shop scored 35 out of 36 points, indicating 98 percent compliance with food safety standards. Despite this high score, the FDA refused to restore the licence, arguing that an internal appeal against the original suspension was pending. The shop remained closed for 34...