Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration inspectors shut down one canteen at the Bombay High Court for operating without a valid food-safety licence.
The action follows a direct inquiry from judges regarding the fairness of the regulator's statewide hygiene crackdown. By targeting its own premises, the court has forced the FDA to demonstrate that government-run facilities are not exempt from the same safety standards applied to private businesses.
Inspectors examined three canteens [1] located within the Bombay High Court premises in Mumbai [1]. The regulator ordered one of those facilities [1] to cease operations immediately. This move came after the court questioned whether the FDA had been conducting selective crackdowns, specifically asking if government-run canteens were being inspected as part of the broader hygiene initiative [1].
The FDA's decision to pivot its focus toward the court's own food services serves as a response to these judicial queries. The agency is now verifying that all food providers within the judicial complex adhere to the required legal and sanitary protocols [1].
While the specific hygiene violations at the other two canteens were not detailed, the lack of a valid licence was the primary driver for the closure of the first facility [1]. The inspection ensures that the food served to legal professionals and litigants meets the state's safety mandates [1].
“The regulator ordered one of those facilities to cease operations immediately.”
This incident highlights a rare moment of self-scrutiny within the Indian judicial system to ensure regulatory parity. By inviting inspections of its own canteens, the Bombay High Court is signaling that government and judicial institutions must be held to the same transparency and safety standards as the private sector, preventing the FDA from ignoring state-affiliated entities during public health enforcement.
