{
  "id": 2126524,
  "title": "‘Dress decay in the garb of freshness’: Court refuses to cancel expired food relabelling case",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/dress-decay-in-the-garb-of-freshness-court-refuses-to-cancel-expired",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-20T11:46:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/legal-news/dress-decay-garb-freshness-court-refuses-cancel-expired-food-case-10841868/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Karnataka High Court has dismissed an attempt to dismiss a cheating case against a firm accused of re-labelling expired food items and selling them as fresh. The court ruled that the act posed a significant threat to public health, going beyond mere food-safety violations. Justice M Nagaprasanna emphasized that selling expired products, particularly to vulnerable groups like children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with weaker immune systems, is a calculated assault on public health. He stated that the expiry date on a package is not merely decorative but indicates the product's inability to guarantee safety and quality for human consumption. According to the court's August 14 order, re-labelling expired food products and reintroducing them into commerce is an affront to public health. The court dismissed the petitioners' claims that they were not involved in relabelling, repackaging, or selling expired goods unfit for human consumption. The court also criticized the food safety authorities for failing to properly inspect, collect samples, and prosecute the case, pointing out that the offence is punishable under Sections 23, 24, and 59 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The court emphasized the importance of constant vigilance in ensuring food safety and the need for stringent consequences to prevent treating the consumer's health as disposable.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Karnataka High Court dismisses cheating case against firm relabelling expired food.",
    "Court rules expired product sale poses significant threat to public health.",
    "Expiry date indicates product's inability to guarantee safety and quality."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}