Why in news?

Recently, the Supreme Court ordered the Ghaziabad Police to provide independent journalist Abhishek Upadhyay with a copy of the FIR and CCTV footage in a road-rage case registered against him.

Upadhyay, who had reported on alleged irregularities in donations to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, claimed he was being falsely implicated over his reportage and that police had repeatedly denied him access to the FIR.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Background: Why the Court Had to Intervene?
• What Do Statutory Provisions Say?
• FIR Access: Judicial Precedents
• Why This Matters: Implications for the Accused

Background: Why the Court Had to Intervene?

• The sequence of events leading to the Supreme Court's intervention:
  • Upadhyay alleged that a police team arrived at his residence, informing him of a case registered at Indirapuram police station over road rage and abusive behaviour.
  • Despite repeated requests, police initially sent him a page containing neither the sections invoked nor details of the alleged offence.
  • Police later shared an older, unrelated FIR registered against him in Lucknow instead.
  • Upadhyay approached the Supreme Court, alleging the case was based on concocted allegations intended to harass him for his journalism.
  • He sought a copy of the FIR and quashing of proceedings, or alternatively, transfer of the probe to an independent agency.
• A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant directed the Ghaziabad Police Commissioner to provide the FIR and CCTV footage, and file a compliance report by September 7.
• The Court also protected Upadhyay from arrest and permitted him to approach the jurisdictional High Court for further relief.

What Do Statutory Provisions Say?

• The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) does not require police to furnish an FIR to the accused immediately upon registration:
  • Section 173(2): Requires a copy to be given "forthwith" and free of cost — but only to the informant or victim, not the accused.
  • Section 230: Requires the magistrate to furnish the accused with copies of prosecution documents, including the FIR and chargesheet, within 14 days of their appearance or production before the court.
• The BNSS is silent on an accused's right to access the FIR at any earlier stage, including during investigation
• Judicial precedents, however, have stepped in to recognise this right.

FIR Access: Judicial Precedents

• Court on its Own Motion v. State (Delhi HC, 2010): Laid down a mechanism for an accused to obtain an FIR during investigation, before the Section 230 stage. Directed Delhi Police to upload FIRs online within 24 hours of registration, with sensitive offences exempted via a reasoned decision by an officer not below DCP rank.
• Rama Nand Rathore v. State of Himachal Pradesh (HP HC, 2014): Held that a person who suspects they are named in an FIR can seek a certified copy, which police must supply within 24 hours; also mandated online publication within the same period, barring sensitive cases.
• Youth Bar Association of India v. Union of India (SC, 2016): Extended these directives pan-India, reiterating that an accused is entitled to access the FIR before the Section 207 CrPC (now Section 230 BNSS) stage. The Court mandated:
  • FIRs uploaded on police websites within 24 hours of registration, or on the State government's official website where no police website exists.
  • Extension to 48 hours where unavoidable delays occur, or up to 72 hours for geographical connectivity issues.
• The 'Sensitive Offence' Exemption
  • The 2016 ruling carved out an exception to online publication for FIRs involving "sensitive" offences:
    • The Supreme Court identified sexual offences, cases under the POCSO Act, 2012, and terror offences as examples — clarifying the list is not exhaustive.
    • The decision to withhold an FIR cannot be taken by an officer below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) or equivalent.
    • An aggrieved person can approach the Superintendent of Police or equivalent, who must constitute a three-member committee to decide the grievance within three days.
    • Even where withheld on sensitivity grounds, the accused or an authorised representative can apply to the magistrate (to whom the FIR has been forwarded) for a certified copy, which must be provided within three days.

Why This Matters: Implications for the Accused

• Police officials routinely fail to comply with the Supreme Court's directive to upload FIRs through the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS).
• Once an FIR is registered and criminal law is set in motion, the accused becomes entitled to pursue pre-trial remedies such as quashing of the FIR or anticipatory bail — but without access to the FIR, these remedies cannot be effectively exercised.
• The Supreme Court's ruling recognised a crucial principle: an accused cannot be made to wait until the framing of charges to learn the offences alleged against them, as this would undermine the right to a fair trial and principles of natural justice.

Why in news?

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is tightening its regulatory grip on how packaged foods are marketed and labelled.

Two parallel developments illustrate this shift: a crackdown on misleading health and nutrient claims — exemplified by Mondelez India's withdrawal of such claims around Bournvita — and a Supreme Court-prompted proposal to introduce red hexagonal warning labels on unhealthy packaged snacks.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• The Scale of the Crackdown
• The Bournvita Case
• The Problem with "100%" and Similar Terms
• Extending Scrutiny to E-Commerce
• The Underlying Goal — and Its Limits
• Proposed Warning Labels for Unhealthy Snacks

The Scale of the Crackdown

• FSSAI has issued more than 150 notices to food companies in recent months over misleading advertisements, false claims, and labelling non-compliance.
• The list includes major packaged-food and beverage companies — Nestlé India, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola India, Abbott India, Red Bull India, Danone India, Mondelez India, Ferrero India, and Kenvue.

The Bournvita Case

• Bournvita has drawn particular scrutiny because its marketing has historically been closely tied to children's nutrition, coming under public criticism in 2023 over its sugar content and nutritional claims.
• Importantly, FSSAI's action does not establish that Bournvita is unsafe. The regulatory concern is narrower:
  • Whether specific health or nutrient-comparison claims are adequately substantiated;
  • Whether their presentation could mislead consumers about health outcomes.
• Analysts explained that food regulation extends beyond checking permitted ingredients to governing how a product's benefits are communicated — since claims suggesting specific health outcomes can create expectations beyond what the evidence supports.
• Mondelez has since withdrawn the flagged claims and removed related advertisements from e-commerce platforms.

The Problem with "100%" and Similar Terms

• A related concern involves absolute-sounding terms like "100%." In May 2025, FSSAI advised food businesses to stop using such language on labels and promotional material, reasoning that it could convey a "false sense of absolute purity or superiority."
• Words like "pure," "natural," "healthy," and "immunity-boosting" function as powerful marketing devices that can influence purchases even before consumers examine nutrition panels.
• Recent corrective actions include:
  • Amway India: removed "100%" from its coconut oil packaging and dropped the "Energy Drink" label from its caffeinated products
  • Juza Foods (Kerala): withdrew immunity and bone-strength claims from its baby-food products

Extending Scrutiny to E-Commerce

• Enforcement has extended beyond physical packaging to e-commerce platforms and food-service establishments.
• This matters because online product pages often carry claims, images, and promotional language that differ from what appears on physical packages — and consumers increasingly make purchase decisions based on online banners rather than in-store labels.

The Underlying Goal — and Its Limits

• At its core, this campaign aims to shift food marketing from broad, unverifiable language toward demonstrable claims — a push FSSAI has linked to India's rising concerns over obesity and unhealthy diets.
• However, questions remain about effectiveness: companies can remove a claim after receiving a notice, but consumers may have already encountered it for years, and similar messaging can persist elsewhere even as one platform complies.
• This makes sustained monitoring, not just notice-issuing, critical to ensuring compliance becomes routine rather than a one-time reaction to scrutiny.

Proposed Warning Labels for Unhealthy Snacks

• Prompted by the Supreme Court, FSSAI has proposed introducing a red hexagonal front-of-pack warning label for packaged foods high in salt, added sugar, or added fat.
• The goal is to provide a "simple, prominent and easily comprehensible warning" to consumers.
• The apex court is hearing this matter in response to a plea by Kerala-based non-profit 3S and Our Health Society.
• Design and Format
  • While no formal notification or implementation timeline exists yet, FSSAI's affidavit specifies:
    • The label will appear in English.
    • Font size will be one point larger than the nutritional information table at the back of the pack.
    • Declarations will include "high fat," "high sugar," "high salt," or "highly sweetened beverage," as applicable.
    • Thresholds are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024, issued by ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition.
• Phased Implementation
• Implementation will occur in two phases:
  • Phase I: Only products high in at least two of the specified ingredients will require the warning label
  • Phase II: Coverage will extend to products high in even a single ingredient
• Single-ingredient products and foods inherently rich in fat, sugar, or salt — such as ghee, edible oil, sugar, jaggery, and honey — will be exempted, subject to other labelling regulations.
• FSSAI says the phased approach aims to build consumer acceptability while giving industry time for reformulation.
• Expert Concerns
  • Nutrition experts have welcomed the initiative in principle but flagged significant implementation concerns:
    • The two-nutrient threshold: Many unhealthy products are high in just one nutrient and would escape the Phase I requirement, potentially rendering the label ineffective.
    • No Phase II timeline: FSSAI has not specified when the stricter single-nutrient threshold will apply.
    • The "added" ambiguity: Warnings apply only to added sugar or added fat, which is difficult to estimate — and naturally high sugar levels can be equally harmful.
    • Accessibility gaps: The proposed font size is too small, and the warning should also be available in Hindi.

Conclusion

Together, these developments signal a broader FSSAI effort to move Indian food regulation beyond ingredient safety toward truthful communication and consumer protection — addressing both misleading marketing language and the need for clear, upfront nutritional warnings.

However, the effectiveness of both initiatives hinges on rigorous, sustained enforcement and closing loopholes such as narrow nutrient thresholds and ambiguous terminology, ensuring that regulatory intent translates into meaningful consumer protection rather than symbolic compliance.

About National Test House:

• It is a premier scientific organization of the Government of India.
• It was established in 1912 under the then Railway Board.
• Mandate: It is India’s largest multi-location multidisciplinary industrial central government’s testing laboratory dealing with almost all sorts of testing, calibration and quality evaluation related to industry, commerce, trade etc. as per international and national standards.
• Functions
  • Technical Role: It offers technical consultancy, testing, calibration, and quality evaluation across various sectors, adhering to both national and international standards.
  • Accreditation Role: It is also actively involved in supporting the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and BIS by providing technical assistance in the accreditation and standard formation activities, respectively.
  • Drone certification: It is the pioneering governmental entity in India for drone certification.
  • Other Functions: Testing, Electric Vehicle (EV) Battery Testing, Organic Food Testing and other advanced technological areas.
• Its branches are established at Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Varanasi.
• Nodal Ministry: It is functioning under the administrative control of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.

About Sesame:

• Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is the oldest indigenous oilseed crop in India.
• It is a primordial oilseed crop since the remnants of sesame seeds were discovered at Harappa and Mohenjodaro.
• Required Climate Conditions:
  • It can be cultivated up to the latitude of 1600m (India 1200 m).
  • Temperature: Normally the optimum temperature required during its life cycle is between 25-35 degrees celsius.
  • If the temperature is more than 40 degrees Celsius with hot winds the oil content reduces.
  • Soil: Sesame can be grown on a wide range of soils, however well drained light to medium textured soils are preferred. It does best on sandy loams with adequate moisture.
  • Climate: It thrives in the semi-arid climate of Western India, Central, Eastern and Southern part of India including lower Himalayas.
  • Season: It is cultivated during Kharif in arid and semi-arid tropics and rabi/summer in cooler areas.
• The crop is grown in almost all parts of the country. More than 85% production of sesame comes from West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
• Uses: Sesame oil is excellent from a medicinal point of view. It contains antioxidants, and it is perfect for heart patients.

About Pusa DST Rice 1:

• It is derived from MTU1010, which is suitable for rabi season in southern states.
• It is developed by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi.
• Properties: The edit in its genome targets the Drought and Salt Tolerance (DST) gene, with the aim of improving the plant’s ability to cope with drought and salt-affected soils.
• It is expected to be grown in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

About DRR Dhan 100:

• It is also called Kamala variety.
• It was developed by ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, from the popular Samba Mahsuri (BPT 5204) variety.
• Scientists edited a gene involved in cytokinin metabolism, with the aim of increasing the number of grains produced by each panicle.
• Properties: The resulting variety is said to mature about 20 days earlier than Samba Mahsuri, in around 130 days, and has a stronger stalk that is less prone to lodging, or falling over.

About Sree Narayana Guru:

• Sree Narayan Guru was a saint, philosopher, spiritual leader, and social reformer from Kerala.
• The Guru was born into an Ezhava family.
• He was one of the most successful social reformers to revolt against the caste system in India. 
• He demonstrated a path to social emancipation without invoking the dualism of the oppressed and the oppressor.
• Gurudevan, as he was known among his followers, led a reform movement in Kerala, revolted against the caste system.
• Philosophy: “Oru Jathi, Oru Matham, Oru Daivam, Manushyanu” translates to “One Caste, One Religion, One God for Mankind” and is a core message advocated by Shri Narayana Guru.
• Works of Sree Narayana Guru:
  • Aruvippuram Movement (1888): Sree Narayana Guru consecrated a Shiva idol at Aruvippuram, a village in present-day Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, symbolising resistance against social injustice, particularly the caste-based restrictions that barred lower castes from temple entry. 
  • Established SNDP: 
    • Under the Indian Companies Act, the Sri Narayana Guru Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP) was established in 1903. 
    • Narayana Guru served as its permanent chairman, while Kumaran Asan, a renowned poet and disciple of Guru, became its general secretary.
    • The Ezhava’s right to attend public schools, access to government services, and political representation were all addressed by the SNDP.
  • The Guru also led the ‘Vaikom Satyagraha’ protest movement against caste discrimination, untouchability, and inequality. 
  • The Sivagiri foundation was established in 1924 by the Guru to promote virtues of cleanliness, education, devotion, agriculture, handicrafts, and trade.
  • The Sivagiri pilgrimage (Sivagiri Theerthadanam), initiated by his followers, promotes values of purity, education, and organization.
  • Literary Contributions: He authored several important works, including Advaitha Deepika, Atmavilasam, Daiva Dasakam, and Brahmavidya Panchakam.

About Kuwait:

• It is a country in Western Asia, situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf.
• Bordering Countries: It is bordered by two countries namely Iraq in the north and west, and Saudi Arabia in the south.
• Maritime Border: It is bounded by the Persian Gulf in the east.
• It is a member of Gulf Cooperation Council, Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation & OPEC.
• Capital City: Kuwait City
• Geographical Features of Kuwait:
  • Climate: Kuwait has a hyper-arid desert climate that is highly variable with recurrent extremes.
  • Rivers: There are no perennial lakes or rivers. Instead, there are wadis or transient watercourses that end in inland basins.
  • Most parts of Kuwait are covered by the Arabian Desert.
  • Natural Resources: Natural gas and petroleum are Kuwait's most significant mineral resources.