Mumbai, July 29, 2026: Questioning whether food safety norms were being enforced uniformly, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to inspect all government and semi-government eating establishments, including the canteens at Mantralaya and the High Court, and submit the status of the inspections along with video recordings.

The direction came while a bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad was hearing a petition filed by Park Inn by Radisson, Navi Mumbai, challenging the suspension of its restaurant's FSSAI licence following an FDA inspection earlier this month.

During the hearing, the bench asked whether the FDA's ongoing inspection drive had also covered eateries run by the government and its agencies. It further sought to know whether restaurants owned by politicians had been inspected.

Court Seeks Inspection Details

Government Pleader Neha Bhide informed the court that there was no "pick and choose" in the drive. She said canteens run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), KEM Hospital, the Cricket Club of India (CCI) and several other prominent clubs in Mumbai had also been inspected and shut for food safety violations.

Recording the submission, the court directed the FDA to place before it "details of inspections conducted across Maharashtra, including those of eating establishments operated by the government, semi-government institutions and those run on contract for government departments". It also directed the authority to videograph the inspections.

Court Quashes Suspension Order

Park Inn's advocates, Mayur Khandeparkar and Sagar Shetty, argued that the continued suspension was disproportionate. The State informed the court that the hotel had secured a 95 per cent compliance score, but insects had been found in the kitchen area, resulting in the suspension being continued.

Bhide submitted that there could be "no compromise" on food safety. "There may be one insect or 10 insects, it doesn't matter. Non-compliance on this aspect cannot be conceded," she argued, adding that the Food Safety Act provides a statutory remedy of appeal before the Food Safety Commissioner.

The bench, however, questioned whether such a lapse alone justified the extreme step of suspension when the establishment had otherwise substantially complied with the prescribed norms.

In a lighter moment, the judges remarked, "Last week there was a cockroach on our desk too. There is also one fly. We are in India, Madam. We have to be realistic."

Observing that suspension should be reserved for cases crossing the necessary threshold and not every instance of non-compliance, the court allowed the petition and quashed the July 3 suspension order. It also directed the authorities to immediately restore the hotel's FSSAI licence and permit it to resume its food business activities.

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Bombay HC Directs FDA To Inspect Mantralaya, High Court Canteens And All Government Eateries, Seeks Video Record

Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra FDA to inspect all government and semi-government canteens, including those at Mantralaya and the High Court, and submit videographed inspection reports. The court also restored Park Inn by Radisson Navi Mumbai's FSSAI licence after quashing its suspension.