The State government will impose exemplary punishment on food and milk adulterators, and plans to increase the penalty up to life imprisonment.
The announcement has come close on the heels of the unprecedented measures and changes in law suggested by the Law Commission of India’s report of 2017 to curb adulteration.
Minister for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Girish Bapat announced in the Legislative Council on Tuesday that the government has already appealed against an order of the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court, which has declared contempt on the State’s decision to increase punishment in the first few cases earlier this year.
“We have sought a response from our Law and Judiciary Department on this confusion. Once it is cleared, we will impose a minimum punishment of 10 years and maximum of life imprisonment on food and milk adulterators,” Mr. Bapat said.
The minister was speaking after Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry data on food adulteration and spurious chemical products for the past three years was tabled in the Assembly. As per the data, the number of adulteration cases in the State has doubled from 1,162 in 2015 to 2,529 in 2017. Maharashtra ranks second after Uttar Pradesh, with not a single conviction in the three-year period, said Congress MLC Sanjay Dutt.
Mr. Dutt’s ‘Point of Information’ was submitted along with the opinions of medical experts highlighting the danger to health from adulterated packaged food, milk and cooking oil, and other consumable products.
“These have proven to be detrimental to health, causing fatal kidney failures and other health complications. The State government must explain the measures that are in place and what it is doing to deter criminals,” the legislator said.
The Law Commission’s report had recommended amendment to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), increasing the fine from ₹1,000 to ₹10 lakh, and amendments to Sections 272 (adulteration of food and drinks) and 273 (sale of noxious food).
Mr. Bapat said the State government is committed to implementing these measures. “In the interim, we have strengthened out staff and manpower, increased more mobile laboratories to check adulterated food and milk,” he said.
Mr Dutt pointed to a Patanjali product which bore a manufacturing date from April while being sold in March. “This is the lethargy of this government, which is allowing select companies to sell products with manufacturings dates which have not even arrived,” said Leader of the Opposition in the Council Dhananjay Munde.
