LAHORE, Feb 29: The City District Government will again take up the issue of hearing of food adulteration cases by the six judicial magistrates posted in towns without jurisdiction with the district and sessions judge.
A request for the posting of a special judicial magistrate with Section 30 powers at the district level will also be made for the purpose. District Coordination Officer Khalid Sultan had met the D&SJ a few months back and submitted that the judicial magistrates posted in the six towns had no jurisdiction to hear the food adulteration cases as the matter related to the CDG.
Moreover, the magistrates posted in towns were not empowered to award the maximum punishment prescribed under the Pure Food Ordinance. Only magistrates with Section 30 powers could award the maximum punishment prescribed under the law.
The D&SJ had also been informed that the Food squad was unable to book the adulterators for the second and third offences prescribed under the law for lack of feedback about the fate of over 15,500 cases submitted in courts of judicial magistrates since the establishment of the CDG.
More deterrent punishments had been prescribed for the second and third offences under the food law as compared to the first offence, but the food squad could not book the adulterators for the subsequent offences for lack of feedback.
The CDG now intends to make a fresh request to the D&SJ next month for the posting of food magistrate at the district level to facilitate action against 130 adulteration sources identified during a campaign last year.
The judge will be informed that the judicial magistrates posted in towns have not taken any decision in respect of disposal of 70,000 spurious aerated water bottles, 7,000 kgs of adulterated red chilies, 10,000 kgs of spurious tomato ketchup and 300 kgs of spurious butter seized during the campaign.
The D&SJ will be further informed that judicial magistrates are showing leniency towards the adulterators convicted by them. A minimum fine of Rs5,030 and a mandatory three to five years imprisonment had been prescribed for everyone convicted for food adulteration, but the magistrates were imposing far lesser fines.
