HC restrains civil supplies corpn from procuring masoor dal

Madurai: The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Monday gave an interim injunction, restraining the Tamil Nadu civil supplies corporation from procuring

masoor dal

.

The co-operation, food and consumer protection department on March 6, 2017 passed a government order, giving effect to various tasks, including permitting the civil supplies corporation to procure masoor dal to supply it to the fair price shops.

Challenging the government, former deputy director of animal husbandry Aasthi Jaganathan, of Karaikudi in Sivaganga district, filed a public interst litigation.

The division bench of justices K K Sasidharan and G R Swaminathan heard the case. The petitioner told the court that masoor dal was harmful to humans. The dal had been used in government’s noon meal scheme in schools and noon meal centres. After it was alleged that the dal affected the nervous system and caused deformities, the Karur district collector took steps and found that a toxic substance was present in it.

The collector subsequently requested the government to stop the supply of the dal for the noon meal programme, following which the social welfare department had on March 1, 2007 passed a government order, prohibiting the supply of masoor dal to the noon meal programmes.

However, the co-operation, food and consumer protection department on March 6 this year passed a government order, enabling the Tamil Nadu civil supplies corporation to procure the dal to supply it to the fair price shops, said the petitioner.

Following it, the bench gave interim injunction and adjourned the case to July 25.


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