Kerala HC refers cola petitions to division bench

The Kerala High Court today referred the petitions filed by soft drink majors PepsiCo and Coca Cola, seeking to quash the government order imposing a ban on the manfacture and sale of their products, to a division bench.

Justice S Sirijagan referred the petitions, filed by Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages and Pepsi India Holdings, for the consideration of the division bench as a PIL seeking prohibition of manufacture and sale of Coca Cola and Pepsi was pending consideration before a division bench.

After the counsels submitted that the matter was "extremely urgent", the court directed that the petitions should be placed before the Chief Justice today itself.

The court had, on August 21, admitted the two petitions but declined to stay the state government order before hearing the government and had posted the case for today.

In separate petitions, the petitioners had also sought a direction prohibiting the state government from taking action against them. They also wanted the government order of August 10 and August 11 order of the Director of Health services on the ban, to be set aside.