Days after Nestle India relaunched Maggi in the market, the Maharashtra government on Friday indicated that it could challenge the lifting of its ban order by the Bombay High Court in the Supreme Court.
Speaking to The Hindu , Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies Minister Girish Bapat said “We are seeking legal opinion on whether we should challenge the issue in the Supreme Court.”
Mr. Bapat said the court had opined that if there was a problem with a particular batch, it could be tested, but a ban should not be imposed on entire batches of the product. “There is a possibility that other batches could pose a health hazard. So, we want the ban on noodles to continue, but we will take appropriate legal opinion before moving the Supreme Court,” he said. The government sources said the appeal in the apex court could be filed in a week’s time.
The development comes days after Maggi noodles returned to the market on Monday on the eve of Diwali. e-retailer Snapdeal, which had tied up with Nestle India for the relaunch and offered Maggi welcome kits to customers at Rs.144, claimed that it had received registrations for an estimated 60,000 kits within five minutes.
On August 13, the Bombay High Court lifted the ban on Maggi, terming it “arbitrary” and a violation of the principles of natural justice. The court ruled that the Maharashtra government imposed the ban despite the company recalling the product till food authorities were satisfied about its safety.
Holding that authorities were not justified in imposing the ban on nine variants of the product when only three were tested, the court had ordered retesting of samples at three accredited labs in Mohali, Hyderabad, and Jaipur. On November 4, the samples cleared the final safety tests by the three labs, mandated by the High Court.
In June, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ordered a ban on Maggi noodles on the ground that they allegedly contained lead beyond permissible limits.
