Spices Board examining S'pore, Hong Kong ban on few MDH and Everest products on quality concern
New Delhi, Apr 22: Spices Board of India on Monday said it is looking into the ban imposed by Hong Kong and Singapore on the sale of four spices-mix products of Indian brands MDH and Everest, which allegedly contain pesticide 'ethylene oxide' beyond permissible limits.
While the food safety regulator of Hong Kong has asked consumers not to buy these products and traders not to sell, the Singapore Food Agency has directed a recall of the products.
"We are looking into the matter. We are at it," Spices Board of India Director A B Rema Shree told PTI.
The companies could not be contacted immediately.
In its April 5 statement, the Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety (CFS) said that the samples of several kinds of pre-packaged spice-mix products of two Indian brands were found to contain a pesticide, ethylene oxide. These products are MDH's Madras Curry Powder (Spice blend for Madras Curry), Everest Fish Curry Masala, MDH Sambhar Masala Mixed Masala Powder, MDH Curry Powder Mixed Masala Powder.
"Investigations are ongoing," CFS said.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Authority has directed "members of the public should not consume the affected products. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected products immediately if they possess any of them," the statement said.
The CFS collected the samples from three retail outlets in Tsim Sha Tsui, respectively for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. "The test results showed that the samples contained a pesticide, ethylene oxide," a CFS spokesperson said in a statement.
The CFS has informed the vendors concerned of the irregularities and instructed them to stop sale and remove from shelves the affected products, it added.
According to the CFS's directive, the distributors and importers concerned have initiated recalls on the affected products. CFS said the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified 'ethylene oxide' as a Group 1 carcinogen. CFS said an offender who sells food items containing pesticide residue beyond permissable limits is liable to a maximum fine of USD 50,000 and to imprisonment for six months upon conviction.
After Hong Kong's directive, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) also ordered a recall of imported 'Everest Fish Curry Masala' from India and the recall is ongoing.
"The Centre for Food Safety in Hong Kong has issued a notification on the recall of Everest Fish Curry Masala from India due to the presence of ethylene oxide at levels exceeding permissible limit," SFA said in a statement last week. India is the world's largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices.
In 2022-23 fiscal, the country exported spices worth nearly Rs 32,000 crore. Chilli, cumin, spice oil and oleoresins, turmeric, curry powder and cardamom are major spices exported.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Supreme Court refers BS Yediyurappa land de-notification case to larger bench
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday referred a plea by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to a larger bench, deferring its verdict in the 2011 land de-notification case.
The Division Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra noted that the legal questions involved in the matter were already pending before a larger bench in a connected case.
“When we were about to start working [on the judgment], we realised there was another order passed by coordinate bench on 16th April 2024 — Shamin Khan vs. Debashish Chakrabarty and Ors — the very same issues are referred to the larger Bench,” the Bench observed. “We felt propriety demands [that this matter also be referred to same Bench]… In this order also, we have formulated the issues… In the interest of judicial discipline, the coordinate bench of this court has refrained from proceeding further in deciding the underlying issue, which is under reference to a larger bench. We deem it appropriate to tag these petitions with the referred matter.”
The Court directed the Registry to place the matter before the Chief Justice of India for appropriate orders.
The case concerns allegations that government land acquired by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) for establishing a hardware park in Hoovinayakanahalli, Bengaluru North Taluk, was illegally de-notified, causing significant loss to the State exchequer. The original complaint, filed by Alam Pasha, alleged that Yediyurappa, then Deputy Chief Minister in 2006, had abused his position in the de-notification process. The complaint also claimed that service and development charges worth crores were waived.
In 2012, police dropped charges against nine co-accused but named Yediyurappa and then Minister for Large and Medium Scale Industries, Katta Subramanya Naidu. However, a trial court later dismissed the complaint against both leaders due to lack of evidence.
Pasha challenged this dismissal before the Karnataka High Court, which in 2021 set aside the trial court order and directed that charges against Yediyurappa and Naidu be taken cognisance of and the trial be resumed. This High Court decision was subsequently challenged by Yediyurappa in the Supreme Court.
During the hearings, the apex court examined whether prior sanction was required to investigate the alleged offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, particularly after the 2018 amendment mandating sanction even for retired public servants.
The Bench also deliberated on the maintainability of a second complaint, filed just eight days after the first was dismissed, on the sole ground that the latter included a sanction for prosecution. Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for Yediyurappa, argued that both complaints were based on identical facts and evidence, and that the High Court had erred by quashing a related 2015 case purely on technical grounds without examining its merits.
In that 2015 case, based on a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, Yediyurappa faced similar allegations of misuse of office. The Karnataka High Court quashed the case in 2023, holding that a coordinate bench had already dealt with related allegations and that a CAG report alone could not serve as a basis for criminal prosecution.
Senior Advocates Vikas Singh and R Basant, along with Additional Advocate General Aman Panwar, appeared for the State of Karnataka.
_vb_46.jpeg)
_vb_52.jpeg)