A day after the Bombay High Court questioned the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its selective checks on restaurants and hotels for food safety, the canteen run by an association of lawyers inside the HC premises voluntarily discontinued its services temporarily.
FDA officials visited the canteen premises on Thursday, but the Bombay Bar Association (BBA) insisted the decision to temporarily discontinue its services was taken voluntarily, and not driven by any adverse order from the state government regulator.
“This is a step initiated by the association. No adverse communication or order or notice has been received by the association from the FDA pursuant to their visit on 30th July 2026,” BBA secretary Naushad Engineer clarified in a statement.
The statement added services at the canteen in south Mumbai would resume shortly.
The HC on Wednesday questioned whether food safety norms were being enforced uniformly and directed the FDA to inspect all government and semi-government eating establishments, including the canteens at Mantralaya (state secretariat) and the High Court, and submit to it the status of the inspections along with video recordings.
Government pleader Neha Bhide had told the court there was no “pick and choose” approach by the FDA and 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.
The matter has been posted for further hearing on July 31, when the FDA is expected to place on record details of inspections carried out across the state.
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