Bombay High Court today upheld the ban on gutkha and pan masala in Maharashtra.
The court, hearing pleas filed by gutkha and pan masala makers, said the tobacco flavoured products fell within the definition of “food” and hence the commissioner of Food and Drugs Administration has the power to ban them.
A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Nitin Jamdar ordered the state government not to destroy the seized gutkha pouches till September 25 to enable the petitioners to seek relief from the Supreme Court.
The manufacturers claim products worth Rs 10 crore have been seized after the ban was imposed on July 19.
The court also rejected the manufacturers’ plea that they be allowed to transport their products from Karnataka to Rajasthan through Maharashtra and Gujarat, the two states that have banned gutkha.