Supreme Court Adjourns Hearing in Pepsico vs. State of West Bengal Case Involving Numerous Petitions - 2025-08-04

Supreme Court Adjourns Pepsico's Case Against West Bengal to August 11

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on August 4, 2025, deferred the hearing in a major case involving beverage giant PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited and the State of West Bengal. A bench comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan has scheduled the next hearing for August 11, 2025.

Case Overview

The matter, led by the Special Leave Petition (SLP) PEPSICO INDIA HOLDINGS PRIVATE LIMITED vs STATE OF WEST BENGAL & ORS. , consists of a large cluster of petitions challenging a final judgment and order from the Calcutta High Court dated January 30, 2025. While the specifics of the underlying dispute were not detailed in the day's proceedings, the extensive list of connected SLPs and interlocutory applications suggests a complex and wide-ranging legal battle.

A Procedural Day in Court

The hearing on Monday was primarily procedural. The court addressed a multitude of interlocutory applications (IAs) filed by various parties. These applications sought permissions for a range of procedural necessities, including:

• Exemption from filing certified copies of the impugned judgment.
• Impleadment of new parties and intervention applications.
• Permission to file additional documents and annexures.
• Condonation of delays in filing or refiling documents.

The presence of numerous senior advocates, including Mr. Rakesh Dwivedi and Mr. Kalyan Bandopadhyay for the respondents and Mr. Balbir Singh and Mr. Tarun Gulati for various petitioners, highlighted the high stakes of the litigation.

Next Steps

After briefly hearing the counsels, the Supreme Court bench passed a one-line order, simply stating, "List on 11.08.2025." No substantive arguments were heard, and no interim orders were passed on the merits of the case. The legal community and involved parties will now await the next date for further directions or the commencement of detailed arguments.