While UT administration refuses to give up its crusade against adulteration even in cases that go back many years, the accused cry foul as many litigations filed before 2003 are falling flat following a court ruling that UT's Food Health Authority (FHA) until then was not authorized to impart training to food inspectors.
With 50 persons booked under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act walking free in the last few months, sources said, "While there are more than 550 cases pending in the districts courts against hoteliers, restaurateurs, grocers and department store owners booked in 2003, the same clause that came to the rescue of those acquitted will apply to the rest."
After a trial court had observed in 2003 that FHA was not authorized to impart training to food inspectors, UT moved a criminal revision petition in the court of additional district and sessions judge, which upheld the earlier verdict in March 2008 based on a notification issued by the ministry of health and family welfare in 1982.
Not ready to let go of those already booked, Manjit Singh Bains, director, health services-cum-food authority, Chandigarh, said, "The ruling is based on a technical ground involving food inspectors' training, but samples fail on the basis of tests conducted by analysts. We will be filing appeals against the recent acquittals and have written to the law ministry to regularize inspectors' training. This will help in pursuing pending cases in the trial court." He added that inspectors were also given requisite training in 2003 from recognised centres in Punjab and Haryana.
Unhappy with UT's insistence on further entangling the accused in litigation hassles, advocate Sunil Kumar who regularly contests PFA cases said, "The court's order will impact all cases filed before 2003. However, UT's move seems to be purely aimed at harassing the accused who have been coming to courts regularly for the last so many years. Most of them in the end are either acquitted or discharged."
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