Comprehensive report on adulterated milk sought

Hearing a plea moved by advocate A P Suryaprakasam, a division bench comprising Justice Vineet Kothari and Justice Anita Sumanth said the matter that the petitioner brought to the court’s attention was of significance. It was not only about the alleged illegal manufacture and sale of adulterated milk, but also that the sale of adulterated food material might be there at a significant level. “It may be absolutely unsafe for human consumption. It appears to be a large problem,” the bench noted, and added that it would entertain the PIL on merit.

Making clear its displeasure over the status report filed by the Health and Family Welfare Department secretary on the position of milk samples for the last six years from August 5, 2011, to May 31, 2017, the court said the report does not give the complete and recently updated details of the action taken by the departments concerned to check the menace of adulteration. “The information about sale of other adulterated foodstuff is not even available,” the bench pointed out.

The bench then directed the Health Director to act as nodal officer on behalf of the State on this case.

The affidavit should have requisite data and action-taken reports (ATRs) on the issues raised in the petition, and also information as to how many surveys or raids have been conducted by the authorities, and the details of the criminal proceedings and prosecutions launched under different laws against the offenders, it added.

The petitioner contended that the Animal Husbandry Minister himself had asserted that the milk being sold in the State was highly adulterated and contaminated.

The plea also cited a report that out of the 1,084 samples checked in 2017-18, as many as 79 samples were found to be unsafe while 241 were found to be misbranded and substandard, and sought for a direction to amend Section 272 of Indian Penal Code to enhance the punishment for the adulterators of milk and milk product to life sentence as the per the directions of the Supreme Court. The plea also sought for action on a war footing to curtail the menace of milk adulterators, who, the petitioner alleged, were playing with the health of citizens, particularly children.