6 months jail for adulteration mooted

NEW DELHI: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on home affairs has recommended a minimum imprisonment of six months for those selling adulterated food or drinks, along with a minimum fine of Rs 25,000.

Referring to the sale of noxious food or drinks, the panel, headed by BJP MP Brij Lal, said the offence has the potential to affect the public at large and that the punishment provided for the offenders under this clause seems to be inadequate.

“The committee recommends that a minimum punishment of six months be implemented for the offence under this clause, along with a minimum fine of `25,000," it said.

Currently, food adulteration is punishable with a term which may extend to six months or a penalty which may extend to Rs 1,000, or both.

Welcoming the provision of the “community service” as one of the punishments under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS),the Parliamentary committee said, “This is a very commendable effort and a reformatory approach to tackle the delinquent. Its introduction as a punishment was appreciated by all stakeholders as it shall not only reduce the burden on the prison infrastructure by reducing the number of prison inmates but also improve the management of prisons in the country.”

However, the committee said, the term and nature of community service has not been specified.

The committee observes that the community service represents a form of unpaid work that offenders might be obligated to undertake as an alternative to incarceration. “The committee, therefore, recommends that the term and nature of community service should be specified and suitably defined,” it said. The panel also recommended that while inserting definition of the phrase “community service” in the proposed law, a provision may also be made with regard to making a person responsible to supervise it.