Udupi city Municipality seizes 12 tonnes garlic for inspection
Complaints of Chinese garlic sale at Udupi APMC Market
Udupi: The Udupi City Municipality officials raided the APMC Market at Adi Udupi on Monday, after receiving complaints of the banned Chinese garlic being sold at the markets, and seized 12 tonnes of garlic whose quality was suspected by the officers.
The City Municipality team led by Commissioner Rayappa and including APMC officers conducted the raid to inspect the market for stocks of Chinese garlic, whose sale has been prohibited by the Indian government as it contains excessive pesticide. The officers also spoke to the vendors at the market before confiscating bags of garlic weighing about 12 tonnes, as the quality of the garlic was found to be suspicious.
The Municipality Commissioner said that the team has confiscated the entire stock of garlic supplied to the APMC Market in Udupi and has sent samples to the laboratory in Mangaluru to inspect if they are Chinese garlic. The next step in the matter will be taken after the Municipality receives the test reports, Rayappa added.
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He warned that vendors at the markets and the APMC within the administration limits of the Udupi Municipality are not permitted to sell vegetable and fruit, including garlic, containing chemicals. Staff have been appointed by the Municipality to keep a watch on the supply and sale of such products and officers would take strict legal action against violators, the senior officers has added.
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Karnataka High Court stays government order allowing Waqf Board to issue marriage certificates
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has stayed a Government Order (GO) issued on August 30, 2023, which authorised the Karnataka State Board of Waqf and its district officers to issue marriage certificates to Muslim couples.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind observed that the GO is inconsistent with the provisions of the Waqf Act, 1995, which does not empower the Waqf Board or its officers to issue marriage certificates. The Bench stated, "Issuance of marriage certificates is neither a matter of better administration of the Waqf Board nor incidental to its management."
The interim order was passed during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Alam Pasha, challenging the GO issued by the Under Secretary of the Minority, Waqf, and Haj Department. The petitioner argued that the Waqf Act pertains to the management of moveable and immoveable properties and does not include provisions related to marriage certificates.
Previously, under the now-repealed Kazi Act, 1988, Kazis officiating Muslim marriages were authorised to issue marriage certificates. The petitioner contended that with the repeal of the Kazi Act in 2013, there is no legal basis for the Waqf Board to assume this role. Instead, marriage registrations are governed by the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, or the Special Marriage Act, 1954, under the jurisdiction of district or State Registrars of Marriages.
The State government defended the GO, citing the difficulties faced by Muslim couples, especially those travelling abroad, in obtaining marriage certificates. However, the Court noted that administrative convenience cannot override the statutory limitations of the Waqf Act.
Notices have been issued to the Waqf Board, and the matter is scheduled for further hearing on December 7, 2024.
Advocate Saraswathi M appeared for the petitioner, while Additional Government Advocate Niloufer Akbar represented the State government.
