Centre directs Karnataka govt to cancel licenses for commercialisation of breast milk: HC told
Bengaluru, Nov 13: The Union government on Wednesday informed the Karnataka High Court that it had directed the State government to revoke licenses granted to private companies allowing them to collect, process, and commercialise human breast milk.
The High Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a person named Munegowda, who raised concerns about multinational corporations profiting from the collection and sale of breast milk.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General of India for High Court of Karnataka Arvind Kamath told a bench of Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice K V Aravind that the Union Ministry of Ayush had recently instructed the Karnataka government to take action against such licenses. Following these directions, several licenses issued to private firms were rescinded by the State government.
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Kamath stated: "The central government has mandated the State to cancel all such licenses. Some companies had initially received these licenses under Ayurvedic norms, which permitted the commercial use of human breast milk. However, the Centre has now intervened, and the State has complied by canceling some of these licenses. At least one company has already had its license revoked, and it has since challenged this cancellation in the High Court."
Advocate B Visveswaraiah, representing the petitioner, presented a 50 ML bottle of packaged breast milk and a 10-gram packet of powdered breast milk, highlighting their sale prices of Rs 1,239 and Rs 313, respectively.
Kamath noted that these licenses were previously issued under provisions related to Ayurvedic and naturopathy practices but reiterated that the central government's recent directive requires their cancellation. He also requested that the court include the Union Ministry of Ayush as a respondent in the ongoing PIL.
The High Court directed the petitioner to implead the Union Ministry in the case and issued a notice. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on December 4.
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Rahul Gandhi joins Haryana Congress leader's 'Sadbhav Yatra' in Gurugram
Gurugram (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday joined the 'Sadbhav Yatra' of Haryana Congress leader Brijendra Singh here.
Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, reached Gurugram in the evening and joined the yatra. He also walked some distance with Brijendra, state Congress chief Rao Narender Singh and other leaders.
Huge crowds had turned up for the occasion.
Later, Gandhi proceeded to the venue where he addressed a public gathering.
Leader of Opposition in Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda and other Congress leaders, including Randeep Singh Surjewala, B K Hariprasad, state Congress chief Rao Narender Singh, were also present.
Brijendra Singh had on Thursday said it is a matter of joy for them that Gandhi was joining the 'Sadbhav Yatra' in Gurugram-Badshahpur, "thereby strengthening the Indian National Congress' campaign for brotherhood and harmony".
The 'Sadbhav Yatra' began from Danoda village at Narwana in Jind on October 5, 2025, and has covered 85 of the 90 assembly segments in the state.
The foot march was started by Brijendra Singh, son of Congress veteran Birender Singh, to highlight several national and regional issues.
State Congress chief Rao Narender Singh had asked all party leaders to take part in Friday's event.
Days before his yatra began in October, Brijendra Singh, who narrowly lost the 2024 assembly polls from Jind's Uchana Kalan, accused the ruling BJP of playing "divisive politics" and said that "sadbhav" (harmony) has come under stress in the last decade.
Brijendra Singh was a sitting MP from Hisar for the BJP when he resigned ahead of the 2024 general election and switched over to the Congress. He also alleged that the saffron party creates a wedge in society to achieve its political purpose.
The 'padyatra' has so far covered 85 assembly constituencies in Haryana, traversing more than 2,700 kilometres.
Addressing the public gathering, Brijendra Singh said the yatra is inspired by Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, where he took the party's vision and values directly to the people of the country.
Singh said the yatra has highlighted issues like "Vote Chori" (vote theft), unemployment, poor law and order situation, agrarian distress, and issues related to government employees, labourers and traders.
"Sadbhav (harmony) and bhaichara (brotherhood), which the BJP is attempting to weaken, are the messages of this yatra," he said, adding that its slogan is "Congress ka haath bhaichara ka saath".
"This yatra is a natural extension of the Bharat Jodo Yatra," Brijendra Singh said.
