Food adulteration could be a non-bailable offence with life-term imprisonment in Maharashtra

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Thursday proposed making food adulteration a non-bailable offence with culprits likely to face life-term imprisonment. 

The proposal was present by state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Girish Bapat in the Legislative Council.

The state has been trying to curb the practice of adulteration of food and give more teeth to agencies by amending sections of the anti-adulteration law including prescribing life imprisonment for the violators.

"The Maharashtra government will bring amendments to sections 272 to 276 of the Prevention of Food Adulteration (Maharashtra Amendment) Act, 1969 to provide life imprisonment for the accused," Bapat had earlier said. 

The minister said President Ramnath Kovind has recently given his assent to amendments made by other states to their respective laws prescribing life term for the violators.

The minister said the state government intends to strengthen the Act on the lines of the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Slumlords, Bootleggers, Drug-Offenders and Dangerous Persons Act, 1981.