Kerala High Court lifts cola ban in state, Govt. to appeal

The bans were imposed after a New Delhi-based private research group alleged the soft drinks had high levels of pesticides in them.

However, the state government was not pleased with the order and both chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan and law minister M. Vijayakumar said they would appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court.

"The lifting of the ban by the division Bench of the high court is unfortunate and the government is exploring legal steps to take corrective measures to re-enforce the ban. We will seek opinion from the state advocate general and other legal experts," said Achuthanandan.

Terming the High Court verdict as "mysterious," Vijayakumar said the state government had banned the soft drinks under rule 7(1) of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

Talking to reporters here, Vijayakumar said the government took the decision as per law and there was no "failure" on its part in arguing the case effectively in the High Court.