Report

On Friday in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court permitted AR Dairy Food Private Limited to resume operations for all its units, except those manufacturing ghee and skimmed milk powder.

FSSAI License Suspension Sparks Legal Challenge

Justice V. Lakshminarayanan issued the interim order in response to a petition from AR Dairy, represented by its authorized signatory, R. Rajadharshini. The company contested the February 14 order by the central designated officer, the primary licensing authority under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Act, 2006. The officer had revoked AR Dairy’s license over allegations of supplying substandard ghee to the prasadam unit of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD).

Company Questions Lab Report Basis for Suspension

AR Dairy argued that TTD rejected shipments based on a Gujarat-based laboratory report except for the first four consignments. The company highlighted that a food safety officer collected samples from its Dindigul production facility, and a backdated report from July 16, 2024, confirmed compliance with FSSAI standards. Despite this, the officer allegedly suspended the company’s license solely based on the findings of the Gujarat lab.

Court Allows Partial Operations Pending Further Hearing

Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan opposed the petition, stating that AR Dairy should have pursued the FSSAI appeal process before moving to court. However, the judge noted that since the company had been operational for several years and the suspension stemmed from a single transaction, he did not wish to shut down its entire business.

Interim Order Limits Suspension Scope

Granting temporary relief, the judge ruled that the suspension would only apply to the production of ghee and skimmed milk powder, allowing AR Dairy to continue producing other products. He instructed FSSAI officials to submit a counter affidavit and scheduled the next hearing for March 4, emphasizing that the interim order would not extend beyond that date.

Source: MSN