HC takes serious note of adulterated food items

Allahabad, Aug 22 (UNI) Allahabad High Court has taken a serious note on the manufacture, sale and distribution of spurious and noxious food items, especially milk and its products in Uttar Pradesh.

The court has directed the Director General of Police (DGP), UP to strictly monitor the investigation of such crimes and initiate effective steps for checking such spurious and adulterated food products.

Passing this order, a division bench comprising Justices Imtiyaz Murtaza and V K Verma asked the DGP to constitute a special cell, if necessary comprising police and health department officials and also of scientific laboratory, where the samples are analysed for strict checking and control of this nefarious crime.

This special cell would take measures for identifying and punishing the culprits involved in such crimes.

Besides, records of crimes would be maintained at a centralised place so that the ''modus operandi'' of adulterators involved in the crime may be unearthed and a comprehensive strategy devised for tackling the grave problem, the court directed.

The judges further asked the DGP to furnish a detailed report in the court on the next date about the places, details of each cases where such adulterated and spurious food items had been detected in the state in the last five years with progress of their probes in each case.

The bench have also asked for the assistance of advocate general on the issue on September 24, 2007.

The court said how spurious milk, khoya, ghee and other milk products were being manufactured from detergents, soaps, urea and other dangerous chemical substances and sold to consumers, as reported in newspapers.

The crime has assumed alarming proportions and become a menace to the health and life of innocent purchasers.

The court said a mandatory sentence of imprisonment to life and fine had been provided under IPC section 272 against persons, who adulterate any article of food or drink as to make such article noxious for health.

The bench passed this order on a writ petition filed by Vitton of district Hathras.

An FIR was lodged against the petitioner under IPC sections 420, 467, 476, 482, 272 and 273 at police station Kotwali, Hathras.

The petitioner was involved in manufacturing and packing spurious ghee in plastic container. The court refused to grant him relief against the FIR.

UNI