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Green light for food courts

Govt clears way for judicial magistrates to run the courts to check adulteration

Ashutosh Sarkar
Food courts are finally going to be functional as the government has recently cleared the way for judicial magistrates to run the courts at each district and metropolitan city to check food adulteration.
These courts are meant for dealing with the cases filed in connection with adultera-
tion of food items to relieve consumers across the country of worries.
This court can fine anyone up to Tk 3 lakh for food adulteration and sentence him or her to three years' rigorous imprisonment as per the relevant law.
The law ministry issued a gazette notification on November 20, asking the judicial
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magistrates concerned to conduct a food court in each of the districts and metropolitan cities.
The judicial magistrate concerned with (Sadar) cognisance court in each district and the metropolitan magistrate concerned with cognisance court-1 in each metropolitan area will run these courts, according to the
notification.
In March this year, the law ministry set up a Pure Food Court in each district and metropolitan city in line with the Pure Food Ordinance-1959, which aims at ensuring better control over production and sale of food for human consumption.
But the courts cannot go into operation because magistrates have not been assigned
to conduct them.
On June 27, the law ministry sought the Supreme Court's approval of a government decision to use judicial magistrates for presiding over the pure food courts.
The apex court approved the decision on September 10.
Zahirul Kabir, assistant secretary of the law ministry, told The Daily Star that health
officials of the districts and metropolitan areas on behalf of consumers will file cases against food adulterators with the food courts as per law (ordinance).
He said awareness should be raised among people about the food courts so that they can complain to the health officials about adulteration of food.
The information ministry can take an initia-
tive to make the people aware of this, Zahirul said, adding that the media can also play an important role in this regard.
In June 2009, following a public interest litigation, the High Court directed the government to set up a pure food court and appoint sufficient food analysts in each district and metropolitan city in two years.