August 11, 2003	Monday	Jumadi-us-Sani 12, 1424

NEW DELHI, Aug 10: An Indian court will on Monday hear an appeal by US cola giant Pepsi seeking to restrain the publication of a report by a private environmental group accusing it and Coke of marketing drinks in India laced with pesticides.

The environmental study has triggered angry protests around India with the Indian parliament banning the soft drinks at its canteen and the government ordering its own probe to determine whether to take action.

Pepsi’s Indian subsidiary and bottler Pearl Drinks appealed Friday to the Delhi High Court urging a block on the publication of the “dubious” report, the findings of which were released at an August 5 press conference.

In its plea, Pepsi said the research methods used by the environmental watchdog, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), were “suspect” and urged the court to direct the government not to base policy on it, the Press Trust of India reported.—AFP