Karnataka High Court stays probe against Rameshwaram Cafe over food contamination complaint

Bengaluru: The Rameshwaram Café said on Sunday that the High Court of Karnataka had stayed further investigations into an FIR filed against its promoters concerning a complaint at its Bengaluru airport outlet.

Hearing a criminal petition filed by the café’s founders, the court issued notices to the state government and other respondents.

The promoters — Raghavendra Rao, Divya Raghavendra Rao and senior executive Sumanth Lakshminarayan — were booked in early December at the BIAL police station for selling noxious food and criminal conspiracy, following a July incident where a customer alleged that he found a worm in his ven pongal.

The court observed that the submissions made by the promoters required detailed consideration. It granted interim protection to the promoters until the next date of hearing, the eatery said.

The petitioners argued that the allegations were false and vindictive, asserting that the complaint failed to disclose the essential ingredients of the alleged offences.

The management clarified that an inspection by the Airport Health Organisation under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the day of the alleged incident, along with previous FSSAI audits, had rated the outlet’s hygiene and food quality as satisfactory.

The café also criticised what it termed a deliberate attempt by certain social media handles to misrepresent facts during the brand's expansion phase.

Malicious complaints and distortion of court proceedings aimed at reputational harm will face strict legal action, the statement said.