Delhi High Court dismisses Pakistani firm’s lawsuit against Indian Government’s approval of ‘Super Basmati’ rice exports
Published on: December 5, 2023.
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Delhi High Court Dismisses Lawsuit Filed by Pakistani Entities Against Indian Government for Rice Exports
In a recent development, the Delhi High Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Pakistani entities against the Indian government. The lawsuit sought an injunction to prevent the Indian government from allowing the export of rice under the trade name ‘Super Basmati’. The court closed the proceedings due to the non-appearance and ineffective prosecution by the Pakistani entities since 2020.
The Pakistani entities involved in the suit were the Trading Corporation of Pakistan Private Limited, Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan, and Basmati Growers Association. These entities filed the suit in 2008 and are owned by the Pakistan Government’s Ministry of Commerce.
The plea filed by the Pakistani entities requested a permanent injunction to stop the Indian government from exporting evolved Basmati rice or any rice under the name ‘Super Basmati’. However, since there was no appearance or effective prosecution by the Pakistani entities since 2020, the court dismissed the suit for non-prosecution.
During the hearing, the High Court framed issues in the suit and concluded the evidence on behalf of the Pakistani entities. However, the cross-examination was not completed, and the Pakistani entities did not appear in the proceedings since September 3, 2020. The counsel for the Pakistani entities sought discharge from the matter, but no discharge application was filed.
The court directed the Government of India to present all the documents referred to in the evidence, and a competent official from the Ministry of Commerce was ordered to be present in court. Following the court order, officials from the Government of India appeared in court on November 28.
The counsel for the Government of India informed the court about a notification issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, restricting the seed production of all varieties of Basmati rice to specific geographical indication (GI) registered rice growing areas. These areas include Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, parts of Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.
After considering the submissions, the High Court recorded the stand of the Government of India and dismissed the plea for non-prosecution, stating that no further orders were required in the suit.
Source: [News9Live](https://www.news9live.com)
