HC asks 3 pvt companies to deposit Rs 10 cr each following laboratory report that some of their products were "substandard and unsafe".

Jammu and Kashmir High Court today asked three companies including a Delhi-based spice manufacturer to deposit Rs 10 crore each with a hospital here following laboratory report that some of their products were "substandard and unsafe". 

The division bench comprising Justices M H Attar and Tashi Rabstan passed the order after hearing a petition filed by advocate Sheikh Mohammad Ayoub, and directed the companies to deposit the money with Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in the Valley. 

The order came following a report by Central Food Laboratory Kolkata which found samples of some of the products manufactured by the companies as "misbranded, substandard and unsafe". 


The court said that the treatment has to be meted out to the people who have suffered or who may suffer from various diseases because of the consumption of such products. 

"In our considered view, at this stage we deem it appropriate to direct the owners or managing directors of the above said companies or corporations to deposit the amount of Rs 10 crores each with the Director SKIMS within two weeks from today," the division bench said. 
The laboratory report revealed that a batch of toned Khyber milk manufactured in July was found to be unsafe, misbranded and substandard. The report also suggested that detergents were also found in the sample of the milk. 

The laboratory also declared unsafe the turmeric powder manufactured by Delhi-based AVON Agro Industries Private Limited because one of its samples showed the presence of Tartrazine (a colouring matter which can be cause of subjecting a consumer to fatal diseases). 

Similarly, the laboratory found Carmoisine and Tartrazine in the samples of a 'saunf' (fennel seeds) powder processed and sold by south Kashmir based Kanwal Agro food industries and it was also declared to be "unsafe".

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