Karnataka HC Refuses to Quash Case Against Earth Recycler Over Expired Food Resale

The Karnataka High Court on Friday refused to quash criminal proceedings against waste management firm Earth Recycler Pvt Ltd and its directors over allegations of repackaging and reselling expired food items and damaged consumer goods. The case arose from a complaint registered within the Avalahalli police limits in Bengaluru.

Justice M Nagaprasanna dismissed the petition filed by the company and its directors, Mohammed Dawood S and Abdul Khadir Kalathoor. The proceedings were originally initiated by the Avalahalli police on a complaint filed by Anil Kumar B under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Food Safety and Standards Act.

According to the allegations, the company collected daily consumable items and food products—including milk, curd, fruits, vegetables, green leaves, flour, ready mix, and cool drinks, as well as non-food goods such as washing powder, soap, hand wash, dish wash, and shampoo—from more than 100 stores belonging to two online platforms across Bengaluru. Instead of safely disposing of the waste, the accused allegedly relabelled, repacked, and resold the expired and damaged products.

The petitioners denied all allegations during the hearing. However, State Public Prosecutor BN Jagadeesha appealed to the court to allow the ongoing investigation to proceed, citing the gravity of the accusations.

Justice Nagaprasanna observed that increasing instances of stocking, preparing, and supplying expired food cannot be brushed aside as stray infractions of regulatory rules. The court noted that these trends reveal a disturbing issue within the hospitality and food sectors, where the hunger for profit appears to have overtaken the elementary obligation to safeguard consumer health.

The court emphasized that unsuspecting consumers buy such items under the belief that they are safe, posing severe health hazards to vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, the elderly, and individuals with compromised immunity. Remarking that profit can never be permitted to flourish upon the ruins of public health, the court stated that regulatory authorities must conduct routine surprise inspections rather than sporadic checks triggered only by public outrage.