FDA reaches Bombay HC canteens, stops business for two; bar association says we did it ‘voluntarily’

Updated: Jul 30, 2026 06:59 PM IST A day after the Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to inspect all government and semi-government eating establishments, FDA officials on Thursday reached the doorstep of the top court to inspect its canteens and found no valid FASSAI licenses with the two. The food safety agency issued them stop-business notices. The third canteen, which had a licence, was issued an improvement notice. Three canteens on the Bombay High Court premises – one run by the Bombay Bar Association (BBA), another by the Advocates Association of Western India (AAWI), and a third for High Court staff – were inspected by the FDA officials.Meanwhile, the Bombay Bar Association has claimed that they voluntarily shut the canteen before the officials from the food safety agency arrived. Earlier in the day, the Bombay Bar Association issued a notice stating: “Members are hereby informed that service of food and/or beverages in the BBA premises (through the canteen and coffee vendor) is temporarily discontinued until further intimation. This is a step initiated by the Association. No adverse communication or order or notice has been received by the Association from the FDA pursuant to their visit on 30th July 2026.” “We voluntarily shut it down,” Nitin Thakker, senior advocate and president of the Bombay Bar Association, told The Indian Express. We asked our canteen operator if he had a licence, and he wasn’t sure, so we asked him to shut. At the same time, the FDA officials also came. When we told them, they said they wouldn’t do anything, but later sent us the notice,” he said, adding that the canteen operator had earlier largely served packed food sourced from outside but had recently begun preparing some fresh items on the premises. When asked about the matter, FDA officials said their team had obtained a declaration from one of the canteen operators stating that they did not hold an FSSAI licence. “Because they don’t have an FSSAI licence, we can’t suspend it,” an FDA official said, adding that a stop-business notice was issued because there was no existing licence to suspend.Story continues below this ad Canteens at some of the city’s biggest public institutions were also inspected today. Heena Khandelwal is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai. She covers a wide range of subjects from relationship and gender to theatre and food. To get in touch, write to ... Read More Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram