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to hear United Spirits plea against FSSAI IMFL sale ban
The has scheduled an urgent hearing for in a filed by challenging the 's (FSSAI) effective prohibition on the sale of Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL). The matter was listed on before a comprising the Acting Chief Justice and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad .
A regulatory halt with industry-wide ripple effects
United Spirits, which owns popular liquor brands including McDowell's No. 1 , moved the High Court alongside another petitioner after FSSAI's directive brought IMFL sales to a standstill. Industry reports indicate that — the maker of Old Monk — has also approached the court in a related matter. A connected , WP 7422/2026, is being heard alongside the main petition, underscoring the breadth of the dispute.
The petition names the , through its ministry, as the first respondent, along with other authorities. Legal representation for the petitioners came from and a team from , while the respondents were represented by counsel for the and the regulatory authorities.
An expedited path to resolution
During the brief proceedings on
, the bench directed the matter to be placed on the
Urgent Supplementary Board
for
, 2026. The court's order, captured in the procedural note —
"S.O.
Urgent Supplementary Board"
— signals that the bench recognises the pressing commercial urgency behind the petitioners' request to resume operations.
The swift scheduling suggests the court is mindful of the significant business disruption caused by the prohibition, which has halted sales of major IMFL brands across the country, affecting supply chains, distributors, and retailers.
What's at stake for the liquor industry
The core legal question before the court concerns the scope of FSSAI's regulatory authority over alcoholic beverages and whether the food safety regulator can effectively prohibit the sale of products that are legally manufactured and sold under state excise regimes. The petitioners are seeking to resume their IMFL sales pending a full adjudication of the dispute.
The outcome of this case could set an important precedent for how food safety regulations interact with governing alcoholic beverages. For now, the industry is watching closely as the hearing approaches, with companies hoping for that would allow them to resume normal business operations.
The bench's decision on whether to grant or proceed with a full hearing will be closely monitored by stakeholders across India's alcoholic beverage sector, given the substantial revenue and employment implications tied to the IMFL market.
