Mumbai, July 31 -- In a stinging rebuke that pierced through government double standards, the Bombay High Court has exposed the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) claims of pristine conditions at the Maharashtra state secretariat (Mantralaya) canteen as a complete fabrication.
Prompted by an independent legal inspection ordered by the court, the judiciary has cornered the aggressive regulatory body-headed by Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe-giving it an ultimatum: either penalize government eateries with the same severity as private ones, or dial back arbitrary clampdowns on commercial hotels.
The FDA had previously submitted an affidavit claiming the Mantralaya canteen was 98 per cent clean and free of pests. A court-mandated inspection tea...