The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday stayed for four weeks the criminal proceedings initiated against United Spirits Ltd. and its heads, including Vijay Mallya, in a complaint related to alleged violation of law in affixation of price sticker on whisky bottles.
Justice K. Phaneendra passed the interim order on the petitions filed by USL and others questioning the June 24, 2014 order of a court in Mangalore, which had summoned the heads of the USL while taking cognisance of the case booked under the provisions of the Legal Metrology Act.
In December 2013, the Inspector of Legal Metrology, Mangalore, seized three packaged boxes of Black Dog Scotch Whiskey from a retailer after he noticed that the maximum retail price was mentioned in an additional sticker, instead of the original price tag.
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The USL, however, claimed that the additional sticker was affixed after direction of the Excise Department.