Delhi High Court seeks replies on a PIL over non-dairy products sold as paneer, but no interim enforcement drive has been ordered for now.
New Delhi: Petitioners who wanted an enforcement drive against non-dairy products sold or served as paneer have, for the moment, received notice instead: the Delhi High Court seeks replies from the authorities within six weeks on their public interest litigation and has not passed interim directions at this stage [Ridhima Singh and Another v. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and Others].
The plea by law student Ridhima Singh and advocate Avlokiteshwar Padmapani Sidharth came up on Wednesday before a Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma. The respondents are the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, the Central and Delhi governments and the Commissioner of Food Safety.
Notice, but no interim order
Notice went to the Centre, the Delhi government and the food regulator, each of whom has six weeks to respond. Nothing has been ordered by way of interim relief, and no next date of hearing has been made available. What the petition says about non-dairy products being sold as paneer is the petitioners’ contention and has not been adjudicated.
What the petitioners want
They want the Delhi government and food safety authorities directed to inspect, sample and test paneer on a regular basis at manufacturing units, wholesale markets, distributors, retail outlets and food service establishments. Action is also sought against dairy analogues and non-dairy products sold or served as paneer without adequate disclosure, along with interim directions for an enforcement drive, the approaching festive season being the reason cited.
A blanket ban on lawful plant-based or dairy analogue products is not what the petitioners say they are after. Their complaint is about products passed off as paneer without adequate disclosure to consumers. The petition points to action taken by food safety authorities in Maharashtra and other States, and contends that enforcement can proceed under the existing legal framework without waiting for regulatory amendments.
Existing powers, existing law
Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the sale of adulterated or misbranded food is prohibited, and food safety officers carry the duty of inspection and sampling. The PIL asks that these powers be put to use in testing what is sold as paneer, not that new rules be framed. The replies, once filed, should show whether the authorities consider existing law sufficient and what they say about disclosure norms for analogue products.
Case Title: Ridhima Singh and Another v. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and Others (title and case number to be verified)
Bench: Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma, Delhi High Court
Date of Hearing: October 14, 2026