No bar for 5 companies to continue producing, selling pasteurised milk

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court today upheld its chamber judge's order that had cleared the way for five companies -- including Pran Dairy Ltd (Pran Milk) -- to produce, distribute and sell their pasteurised milk.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the orders after hearing five separate petitions filed by the companies challenging the HC orders.

Advocate AM Amin Uddin, lawyer for Pran Dairy Ltd, told The Daily Star that the SC chamber judge's order that had stayed the HC directive asking the five companies in July last year to stop producing, distributing and selling pasteurised milk will continue following today's apex court order.

Earlier on July 29 last year, an HC bench issued the ban on production, distribution and sale of pasteurised milk of 14 companies after examining three laboratory test reports, which found that the milk of these companies contains antibiotics -- Oxytetracycline, Tetracycline and Ciprofloxacin -- as well as lead, a harmful heavy metal.