{"id":5909,"date":"2026-08-29T13:35:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T13:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/?p=5909"},"modified":"2026-08-29T13:35:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T13:35:47","slug":"bombay-hc-clears-reopening-of-five-mca-eateries-after-fda-dispute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/?p=5909","title":{"rendered":"Bombay HC Clears Reopening of Five MCA Eateries After FDA Dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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MUMBAI, August 29, 2026:<\/strong> The Bombay High Court on Saturday cleared the reopening of five eateries operating on the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) premises in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC)<\/strong> after strongly criticising the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over its handling of their suspended food licences. The court’s intervention came after a fresh inspection found the establishments 88% compliant with food-safety requirements<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dispute began after the Maharashtra FDA suspended the food licences of five restaurants at the MCA premises following inspections that reportedly identified several food-safety and hygiene deficiencies. The action included concerns relating to food storage, handling, refrigeration and sanitation<\/strong>, prompting the regulator to suspend operations at the eateries. The MCA subsequently approached the Bombay High Court, challenging the suspension and seeking permission for the establishments to resume operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The five eateries are located within the MCA’s facilities in BKC and include Permit Room, Oriental Swing, Clubway & Pastry Counter, Mediterranean and Pavilion<\/strong>. They operate from the Sharad Pawar Indoor Cricket Academy and Recreational Centre premises, where food services are used by members, visitors and people associated with the sporting facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fresh Inspection Changes the Situation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The High Court had earlier directed the FDA to conduct a fresh inspection of the MCA premises after questioning aspects of the department’s earlier action. The fresh inspection subsequently found that the five eateries were 88% compliant with applicable food-safety rules<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the improved compliance findings, the FDA initially did not immediately withdraw its suspension orders. This prompted the court to take a much stronger position during Saturday’s hearing. The division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ravindra V Ghuge and Justice Gautam A Ankhad<\/strong> questioned the department’s approach and emphasised the need for officials to consider the circumstances pragmatically rather than relying on a rigid interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The court expressed particular displeasure that its earlier directions had apparently not been followed in the manner expected. It warned that contempt proceedings could be initiated against concerned officials<\/strong> if the department continued to disregard the court’s directions. The judges also questioned why the FDA appeared to act with undue haste without fully analysing the legal position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FDA Agrees to Withdraw Suspension<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Following the court’s remarks, Maharashtra’s FDA informed the bench that it would withdraw its orders suspending the licences of the five eateries<\/strong>. The court accepted the undertaking and treated the suspension as vacated, allowing the restaurants to resume services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The High Court also noted that there was no legal provision preventing the eateries from reopening once the relevant compliance concerns had been addressed. The court subsequently disposed of the petitions filed in the matter, while the FDA can take a fresh decision regarding the contractual and operational issues involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food Safety Remains a Key Issue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The case comes amid an intensified food-safety enforcement campaign in Mumbai and Maharashtra. The FDA has recently carried out thousands of inspections at restaurants, food outlets and other establishments, with authorities focusing on hygiene, storage conditions, pest control and safe food-handling practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MCA case highlights the balance regulators must maintain between strict enforcement of food-safety standards and fair administrative procedure<\/strong>. While food establishments are required to comply with safety regulations, the court’s intervention underlines that regulatory action must also follow due process and take account of subsequent compliance improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For MCA members and visitors, Saturday’s decision means food services at the five establishments can resume after the period of suspension. However, the episode is likely to keep attention focused on hygiene standards and regulatory compliance at high-profile sporting and recreational facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bombay High Court’s ruling therefore brings an immediate end to the suspension while leaving the FDA free to conduct further regulatory assessment where necessary. The decision also sends a broader message to government departments that enforcement actions must be legally sound, proportionate and responsive to improved compliance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MUMBAI, August 29, 2026: The Bombay High Court on Saturday cleared the reopening of five eateries operating on the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) premises in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) after strongly criticising the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over its handling of their suspended food licences. The court’s intervention came after a fresh inspection found […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[3729,80,3728,3727,3726],"class_list":["post-5909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-news","tag-bkc-restaurants","tag-bombay-high-court","tag-fda-maharashtra","tag-mca-eateries","tag-mumbai-cricket-association"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5909"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5909\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5911,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5909\/revisions\/5911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}