HC refuses to stay Kerala ban on Coke & Pepsi

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Monday refused to stay the state government-imposed ban on production and sale of Coke and Pepsi. The HC declined the plea for an interim stay, saying it was yet to hear the government’s argument.

Earlier, the Court admitted petitions filed by Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages and Pepsi India Holding, and posted the case to August 24 for hearing.

Justice S Sirijagan also issued notices to the state government and the director of health services in this regard. Coca-Cola and Pepsi had filed separate petitions in the Kerala HC on Friday challenging the ban on production and sale of colas through the state.

In their petitions, the soft drink companies pointed out independent tests have shown that cola drinks are “absolutely safe”. Despite sharing the test results with the government, the ban has still not been lifted, they said.

In a statement issued on Monday, Coca-Cola said, “The honourable Court also directed the state government to justify its ban order within two days”.

“We are completely confident of the safety of our soft drinks in India because they are produced to the same level of purity, regarding pesticides, as the EU criteria for bottled water (globally accepted as one of the most stringent in the world)”, the release said.

“Our soft drinks have been regularly tested and evaluated by the world renowned UK Government Laboratory, the Central Science Laboratories (CSL)”, the statement said.

It added that “on August 14 the laboratory held a press conference in Delhi announcing that all tests show that soft drinks from Coca Cola India are below the EU criteria for pesticide residues in bottled water”.
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