Kerala HC 'No' to stay on Coca-Cola, Pepsi ban;Sep 11 hearing

Kochi, Aug 25 (UNI) A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court today refused to stay the state government ban on the manufacture and sale of Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

The bench, consisting of Chief Justice V K Bali and Justice M Ramachandran, adjourned to September 11 for detailed hearing the separate writ petitions filed by Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages and Pepsico Holdings, challenging the Kerala Government ban on August 11.

Meanwhile, the court directed the parties to complete pleadings.

While counsel for the petitioners pressed for a stay, the court said it was not inclined to pass an interim order, as, this being a controversial matter, a detailed hearing was required.

The cola majors have moved the court contending that the Central Government alone had the power to prohibit food articles on the ground that they were injurious to health. The state government did not have the power to pass such an order, they said.

They also termed the Kerala Government's decision 'arbitrary' and said no independent inquiry had been held into allegations that there were excessive pesticide residues in the beverages.

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