Bombay HC orders fresh testing of Johnson & Johnson baby powder
allows company to manufacture but not sell it
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Wednesday ordered for fresh testing of Johnson & Johnson baby powder samples and permitted the company to manufacture the product but to not sell it, as per the Maharashtra government order.
The company had filed a petition challenging two orders of the state government- one dated September 15 cancelling the license and the second dated September 20 ordering to immediately stop manufacturing and sale of the company's baby powder product.
The orders were passed by the joint commissioner and licensing authority of the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The government based its orders on the report of the Central Drug Laboratory in Kolkata, which found the powder containing higher pH level than prescribed.
A division bench of Justices S V Gangapurwala and S G Dige on Wednesday directed the FDA to collect fresh samples from the company's factory in Mulund area of Mumbai within three days.
The sample would then be sent to three laboratories - two government labs and a private one - for testing.
"The samples shall be sent to the Central Drug Testing Laboratory, west zone, FDA lab and the Intertech Laboratory for testing," the court said.
"The labs shall submit a report within one week thereafter," it added.
Senior counsel Ravi Kadam, appearing for the company, sought that the court till then permit the company to at least start manufacturing the product.
"The petitioner is restrained from selling or distributing the baby powder product by the government. The company shall abide by this order. If the company chooses to manufacture the product then it would be at their own risk," the bench said.
The HC posted the matter for further hearing on November 30.
The company had in its plea said 14 random batches of February, March and September 2022 were tested by an independent public testing laboratory and all were found to be well within the prescribed pH value.
The leading Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) manufacturer said it has been making the baby powder at its Mulund plant for the last 57 years and its license was renewed in January 2020.
The company also said due to the license revocation, it suffered a daily loss of Rs 2.5 crore based on the market value of the goods sold.
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Jessie Buckley wins the best actress Oscar for tear-jerking ‘Hamnet'''' performance
Los Angeles (AP): Jessie Buckley claimed her first Oscar on Sunday for her “Hamnet” performance that prompted almost anyone who saw it to blow through a box of tissues.
The prize for best actress went to second-time nominee Buckley for her role as William Shakespeare's wife, Agnes, in the drama directed by Chloe Zhao.
Buckley burst into a fit of laughter before beginning her speech, saying, “This is really something.”
“It's Mother's Day in the UK today, so I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother's heart,” she said. “We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds. Thank you for recognising me in this role.”
Buckley, who is Irish, had swept the awards circuit leading up to the ceremony, winning in her category at the Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Actor Awards. She is the first Irish performer to win a best actress Oscar.
A front-runner in the category, Buckley was nominated alongside first-time nominees Rose Byrne for “If I Had Legs I'd Kick You” and Renate Reinsve for “Sentimental Value”. Two-time winner Emma Stone was also nominated for “Bugonia”, as was two-time nominee Kate Hudson for “Song Sung Blue”.
“Hamnet”, which is an adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's prizewinning historical fiction novel from 2020, dramatises the mysterious private life of the famed playwright and poet Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway (who was also called Agnes). The plot centres on the death of the couple's 11-year-old son, Hamnet, and the intense grief that followed.
Fellow Irish actor Paul Mescal plays William as the story imagines a connection between Hamnet's tragic death and the birth of what many consider to be Shakespeare's greatest tragedy, “Hamlet”. (The two names were virtually interchangeable in England during the 16th century).
The film developed a reputation for leaving audiences in tears, due in large part to the potency of Buckley's performance. She was previously nominated for the supporting actress Oscar for her turn in the 2021 film “The Lost Daughter”.
The drama received eight Oscar nominations, including for directing, adapted screenplay and best picture.
