The Maharashtra government has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the legality of certain food safety regulations imposed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Photo : PTI
The Maharashtra government has moved Bombay High Court against several food safety regulations, claiming the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has unconstitutionally established a parallel enforcement regime that usurps the state government’s powers.
The petition, filed through the State Commissioner of Food Safety, said the aim of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSSA) was to decentralise food regulation. Earlier, enforcement of the Act was through the State Commissioner of Food Safety and designated officers, it pointed out.
As per the plea, the Centre and the FSSAI have since then issued various amendments to the Act that “steadily dismantle the decentralised regime”.
The FSSAI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) exercised powers unlawfully by creating posts like ‘Central Food Safety Officer’ and ‘Central Licensing Authority’, the plea said. These roles are foreign to the statutory framework of the Act, the plea contended.