The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday asked for an explanation from the state government on why there is a discrimination between supermarkets and individual retail trader for stocking of essential commodities.
Hearing a petition filed by individual retail traders H K Ranganath and three others, Justice S N Satyanarayana asked the government to file a statement of objection.
The petitioners have moved the court seeking the quashing of a notification issued by the state government under the Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act. The notification allows individual retailstraders to stock 100 quintals of food articles (essential commodities) but allows supermarkets to stock 500 quintals of food articles (essential commodities).
The notification has been challenged by the petitioners stating that a supermarket has not been defined under the Act. Hence there should not be any discrimination made between individual retail traders and supermarkets/hypermarkets.
The petitioners have also sought directions to be allowed to store 500 quintals of essential commodities which has been prescribed for supermarket/ hypermarket.
The bench adjourned the hearing until November 21.
DH News Service
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