Ahead of the festive season, a law student and an advocate have moved the Delhi High Court seeking implementation of a crackdown on fake paneer and similar milk-based products. “Chhena, paneer are the basic components of prasad, and (linked) to our sentiments in general,” the petitioners told the court.On Wednesday, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma, while refusing to grant any interim relief, sought the Centre, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and the Delhi government’s response in this regard.Maharashtra crackdown citedThe public interest litigation (PIL), filed by law student Ridhima Singh and advocate Avlokiteshwar Sidharth, referred to the crackdown in Maharashtra, where authorities took “specific measures concerning analogue/non-dairy paneer,” as well as subsequent actions in Gujarat, Punjab and Chhattisgarh.“The petitioners rely on these measures to show that the problem has been recognised by multiple statutory authorities and that preventive measures are capable of being taken under the existing enactment. Mumbai/Maharashtra assumes particular relevance as a comparable metropolitan market, whose regulatory experience deserves consideration by the Commissioner of Food Safety, Delhi,” the petitioners stressed.They also sought that the authorities be directed to prevent manufacture, and supply and sale of dairy-analogue or non-dairy products by representing or passing them off as ‘paneer’, in violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, including at cloud kitchens, hotels and e-commerce food businesses.Seeks special enforcement driveThe PIL also sought that the Delhi government and its food safety commissioner be directed to conduct an immediate special enforcement drive during the festive season. It called for inspection, sampling and testing of paneer and products represented as paneer, at manufacturing units or any other establishments, and act against non-conforming operators.The petitioners, as interim relief, had requested the court to direct state authorities to complete a specific amount of sampling before the festive season. The petitioners argued that this is time sensitive, with “Dussehra and Diwali just around the corner”, and “it will cause grave injustice.”Story continues below this adNoting that there is a “special problem” in hotels, restaurants, caterers, cloud kitchens and e-commerce food listings, the PIL explained that a consumer, upon seeing ‘paneer’ on a menu or electronic listing, places the order.However, since the original packaging remains with the food service establishment, “it can be a replicate” product that looks and tastes like paneer but “there is no disclosure or way of knowing or discovering” if it is indeed paneer.Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on InstagramTags:delhi high court