Lucknow's Sahara Mall raided as UP govt cracks down on Halal-certified products

Days after Uttar Pradesh banned halal-certified products in the state, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) team conducted a raid on Sahara Mall in Lucknow. The team examined various kinds of Halal-certified products being sold at the mall, including cold drinks, meat and dry fruits, India Today reported. Following the raid, the FSDA registered a case against eight companies.

On Saturday, the UP government banned the production, storage, distribution and sale of food products with halal certification with immediate effect.

The state government in a statement said "malicious attempts" to discourage the use of products lacking a halal certificate not only seek "unfair financial benefits" but also form part of a "pre-planned strategy to sow class hatred, create divisions in society, and weaken the country".

The government said strict legal measures would be taken against any individual or firm engaged in the production, storage, distribution, buying, and selling of halal-certified medicines, medical devices, and cosmetics within Uttar Pradesh.

"Unrestrained propaganda is being disseminated within a particular section of society to discourage the use of products lacking a halal certificate," the statement said, adding that this harms the business interests of other communities.

There are also fears that the "unfair advantage" is being passed onto "anti-social or anti-national elements", the government said. However, it said, products manufactured for export will not be subject to the restrictions.

The state government said it recently received information which indicated that products such as dairy items, sugar, bakery products, peppermint oil, salty ready-to-eat beverages, and edible oils were being labelled with a halal certification. Also, certain medicines, medical devices, and cosmetic products were reported to feature the halal certificate on their packaging or labelling.

"However, there are no provisions for marking halal certification on labels in the government rules related to drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics, nor is there any mention of halal certification in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940," it said.

The statement said that any direct or indirect mention of halal certification on the labels of medicines, medical devices, or cosmetics constitutes falsification under the said Act, making it a punishable offence.