The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has suspended four officials after allegations that they conducted raids in Pune and Bhiwandi without authorisation and outside their assigned jurisdiction. The action was approved by the chief minister and formalised through a government order issued by the department on October 31, according to a report by Live Hindustan.
The suspended officials include joint commissioner (food) Digambar Bhogawade, assistant commissioner (food) Yaduraj Dahatonde, and food safety officers Ashok Ilagar and CR Swami. The order places the four officials under suspension over the alleged procedural violations connected with raids carried out in the two urban areas.
The department has also initiated departmental inquiries against 21 other officials in connection with the matter. The employees under investigation belong to the Thane and Pune divisions, indicating that the disciplinary action extends beyond the four officials named in the suspension order.
The case centres on whether FDA officials acted beyond their authorised jurisdiction while carrying out enforcement operations. The report does not provide details of the establishments raided, the specific food-safety concerns that prompted the operations, or the findings of any inspections conducted in Pune and Bhiwandi.
The action places administrative authorisation and jurisdiction at the centre of the state’s food-safety enforcement system. FDA officers operate through regional and divisional structures, and raids are conducted as part of regulatory inspections. The allegations reported in this case concern the authority under which those operations were undertaken rather than the safety status of the establishments involved.
For residents and businesses in Pune and Bhiwandi, the disciplinary process is significant because food-safety enforcement depends on clear jurisdiction, documented procedures and accountable decision-making. The available report does not state whether any inspection findings, notices or prosecutions arising from the raids have been cancelled, reviewed or allowed to continue.
The department described the action as its largest disciplinary measure against FDA officials so far. That description applies to the scale of the administrative response: four suspensions have been ordered while departmental inquiries have been opened against 21 additional officials. The outcome of those inquiries will determine whether further action is taken.
The government order followed approval from the chief minister. The departmental inquiries into the 21 officials and the proceedings against the four suspended officers are the next formal steps identified in the available report.
