Mumbai, Oct. 31 -- The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday suspended four senior officers and initiated departmental inquiries against 28 others for conducting raids on two hookah tobacco manufacturers without first establishing whether the products fell under the department's jurisdiction. The action comes a day after HT reported that senior bureaucrats had advised FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe to tread cautiously and ensure that the department's aggressive enforcement drive did not breach the law, particularly after courts criticised procedural lapses in some of its raids. The raids that prompted Friday's suspensions were conducted months before Mundhe took charge in May this year. The FDA had seized prohibited flavoured hookah and tobacco products from High Street Impex LLP in Bhiwandi in December 2025 and Soex India Private Limited in Maval in January 2026. However, after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) clarified that the products did not qualify as "food" under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the state government was forced to withdraw its action, release the seized goods and tender an unconditional apology before the Bombay High Court. The four suspended senior officers are FDA joint commissioner Digambar Bhogawade, assistant commissioner Yaduraj Dahatonde, and food safety officers Ashok Ilagor and C R Swami. The suspension orders, issued by FDA under-secretary Ajit Jagtap on Friday, followed recommendations made last week by Mundhe. FDA secretary Sanjay Khandare cleared the proposal before forwarding it to the general administration department and the chief minister's secretariat for final approval. Khandare confirmed the suspensions and departmental inquiries. According to the suspension orders, the officers initiated coercive action against the two companies without obtaining a clear opinion from the FSSAI or another competent authority on whether flavoured hookah tobacco products could be classified as "food" under the law. The officers were required to independently examine the inspection reports, panchnamas, sample records, laboratory findings and proposals submitted by field teams before authorising action. However, they failed to adequately examine the FSSAI's jurisdiction, product classification, label declarations, intended use and proportionality of the proposed action, the orders said. The orders also noted that junior officers who were not part of the raiding squad were compelled to participate in the operation, and that the squad had crossed its jurisdiction. The lapses came to light after the two companies challenged the FDA's action in court. Following the FSSAI's clarification that the products were not covered by the Food Safety and Standards Act, the state informed the Bombay High Court that continuing the proceedings was unwarranted. It subsequently released the seized goods, de-sealed the factory, withdrew the restrictions imposed on the companies and tendered an unconditional apology. The suspension orders said the episode had tarnished the state government's image. The government had also assured the high court that it would investigate the lapses and take strict action against the officers responsible. The 28 officers facing departmental inquiries include joint commissioners Shrikant Karkale and Digambar Bhogawade; assistant commissioners P P Suryawanshi, N R Surkute, Yaduraj Dahatonde, S B Kodgire, Imran Hashmi, G P Kokane, R R Kakade, A R Deshmukh and P V Ambre; food safety officers K Y Chiplunkar, Shubhangi Karne, Ashok Ilagor, C R Swami, Manik Jadhav, A J Tonpe, Mangesh Lavate, Sayali Patwardhan, A G Gaikwad, S S Sawant, Lohar, Savale Sahayya, Sonkamble, Hake, S Baravkar and S Zazurne; and scientific officer Santosh Ugale. The disciplinary action comes amid growing scrutiny of the FDA's enforcement methods under Mundhe, who took charge as commissioner in May this year. He has led a sweeping crackdown on restaurants, commercial kitchens, and dark stores across Maharashtra for alleged food safety violations....