Mohan Rocky Springwater Breweries Limited, the manufacturer of iconic Indian rum brand Old Monk, has withdrawn its petition before the Bombay High Court challenging the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) prohibition order on the sale and distribution of its products in Maharashtra. The company informed the court that it would submit revised product labels directly to the food safety regulator for approval.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait M. Sethna allowed the manufacturer to withdraw its plea. The dispute relates to an order issued by the FSSAI’s Western Regional Office under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, restricting the sale of Old Monk variants manufactured at the company’s Khopoli facility in Maharashtra.
The FSSAI had objected to the classification of the beverage as rum, arguing that products containing added nature-identical or artificial flavourings must be labelled as a “rum-flavoured spirit” under the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations. The regulator also questioned age-related descriptions appearing on the packaging, including “7 Years Old Blended” and “Very Old Vatted”.
The manufacturer had initially challenged the prohibition order, maintaining that its product formulations complied with applicable excise regulations and were sold across several other states. The company also informed the court that the restrictions had caused Maharashtra an estimated loss of more than ₹350 crore in excise revenue and affected factory operations, leaving hundreds of workers idle.
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With the High Court declining to grant interim relief against the prohibition order and emphasising transparent consumer information, the company decided not to pursue its challenge on merits.
Mohan Rocky Springwater Breweries has now agreed to submit redesigned labels to the FSSAI for examination and approval. The petition was subsequently disposed of as withdrawn, leaving the regulator to consider the revised packaging before the affected products can resume sales in Maharashtra.
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