Bengaluru: The high court Monday declined to stay further proceedings arising from an FIR registered against a Bengaluru-based doctor accused of posting social media reels alleging that Nandini strawberry-flavoured milk was spurious.The petitioner, Dr Sharanya Padma, had approached high court challenging the FIR lodged by Malleswaram police under BNS Section 353(1)(b) as well as the consequential proceedings pending before a city court.When the matter came up for hearing, Justice M Nagaprasanna questioned the basis of the doctor’s statements made on social media.Counsel for the petitioner argued that Dr Padma had not made allegations against milk in general, but had only commented on strawberry-flavoured milk variant.Responding to the submission, Justice Nagaprasanna questioned whether the petitioner had conducted any scientific testing or obtained certification to establish that the product was unsafe. The judge also asked whether she had communicated her concerns to govt or any competent authority before publishing the videos.“You cannot generate panic by saying milk is spurious and that strawberry flavour is not good. If you think it is not good, don’t consume it. Why do all this? Simply making statements at the drop of a hat creates problems in society. Instagram is not meant for that,” the judge remarked.The petitioner’s counsel informed the court that Dr Padma had subsequently apologised for her remarks.However, refusing to interfere with the ongoing investigation at this stage, the high court issued notice to police and to R Padmavati, director of the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) and the complainant in the case. The matter was adjourned for further hearing.
