Reliance, Blinkit executives named in Maharashtra food-safety FIR

An FIR has been registered at Shanti Nagar police station in Thane against executives linked to Reliance Consumer Products, Reliance Retail, Zomato’s Hyperpure and Blinkit following a Maharashtra Food & Drugs Administration crackdown across several districts. The Economic Times reported that officials seized food products valued at ₹48.09 lakh and alleged that expired, damaged and rejected goods had been diverted and sold.

The report described more than 10 executives from the two Reliance businesses as facing the FIR, alongside executives associated with Hyperpure and Blinkit. Blinkit chief executive Albinder Dhindsa is among those named.

Who is named and what the case concerns

The Reliance Consumer Products executives identified in the report are V Subramaniam, Ashok Kumar Singh, Vijay Bhikaji Kharmale and Nilesh Ramdasrao Deshmukh. The case invokes provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

The allegations concern the handling and sale of food that the FDA described as expired, damaged or rejected. Registration of an FIR records allegations for investigation; it does not establish that the individuals or companies committed an offence.

Emails seeking responses from Reliance Consumer Products and Zomato had not received replies by the newspaper’s publication deadline.

Wider enforcement across Maharashtra

Reliance Consumer Products is the fast-moving consumer goods arm of Reliance Industries. Its portfolio includes Campa soft drinks, Joyland flavoured milk, SIL jams and Lotus chocolates. The report did not identify which brands or products formed part of the seizure.

The case comes amid broader food-safety enforcement in Maharashtra. The FDA has issued hygiene-related notices or suspended licences at dozens of restaurants, clubs and quick-commerce dark stores. Establishments named in that wider drive include Domino’s Pizza, Olympia Coffee House and Cafe Mondegar; those actions are distinct from the allegations in this FIR.