The Bombay High Court has declined to quash the legal proceedings against Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited, related to charges of selling adulterated beverages. This decision stems from a complaint filed by the Jalna district’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Maharashtra after inspecting the company’s product, ‘Canada Dry.’
The case originated from a 2001 inspection, where FDA officials discovered fibrous materials and cobwebs inside sealed bottles of ‘Canada Dry.’ Subsequently, 321 bottles, marked with an expiry date of December 12, 2001, were seized on July 27, 2001. Post-inspection, the beverages were tested, leading to a formal complaint under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act against the beverage giant at a magistrate’s court in Jalna.
Despite the long duration since the initial incident, proceedings have been slow. In March 2010, a decade after the seizure, the magistrate issued a notice to Hindustan Coca-Cola, prompting the company to approach the High Court seeking to dismiss the complaint and notice. The company argued that the delay in filing the complaint was grounds for dismissal.
However, Justice Y G Khobragade of the Aurangabad bench rejected this plea on December 11, stating that Hindustan Coca-Cola had not sufficiently justified the need to halt the proceedings. Following this decision, the company sought an extension of the interim stay on the criminal proceedings, which had paused the case for approximately 14 years. The court, however, refused this request, allowing the criminal proceedings to resume.
