Shawdesh Desk:

The Appellate Division on Monday stayed for eight weeks the High Court Division’s directive asking Milk Vita to refrain for five weeks its production and marketing pasteurised milk.

On Sunday, the High Court Division in a suo moto rule directed state owned Milk Vita and 13 other dairy farms to refrain from producing and marketing their pasteurized milk for five weeks.

The High Court Division in the suo moto rule had also directed the government to ensure that none bought or consumed pasteurised milk of these dairy farms.

Appellate Division’s chamber judge Justice Md Nuruzzaman stayed the HC directive only for  Milk Vita  as state-run Bangladesh Milk Producers’ Co-Operative Union Limited appealed against the HC order.

The bench in the suo moto rule had also directed all the 14 dairy farms  to explain within two weeks why contaminating and adulter ating pasteurised milk with antibiotics and heavy metals would not be declared as ‘illegal’ as it violates citizens’ fundamental rights enshrined in Articles15, 18 and 31of the Constitution.

The dairy farms were also asked to explain why they would not be directed immediately to rectify their products either individually or collectively.

The dairy farms include, Bangladesh Milk Producers’ Co-Operative Union Limited., Pran Dairy Limited, brac dairy and food project,  Akij Food & Beverage Limited, Igloo Dairy Limited, Aftab Milk & Milk Product Limited,  Uttar Banga Dairy, Baro Awlia Dairy Milk & Foods Limited, American Dairy Limited,  Danish Dairy Limited, Ichamoti Dairy and Food Products, Shelaidah Dairy, Tania Dairy and Food Products and Purbo Bangla Dairy Food Industries.

The High Court Division set August 25 for the next hearing on the issue.

The HC imposed the temporary bans after accepting the lab tests by the Institute of Public Health, Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission that found the presence of antibiotics and heavy metals in the pasteurized milk samples of the 14 dairy farms.

On July 15, the court ordered the  tests  while hearing a public interest litigation writ petition filed by lawyer Tanvir Ahmed in 2018.