Mumbai faces FDA licence suspensions, Marathi mandate court fight, and MPSC exam arrests
A week of regulatory and legal turbulence hit Mumbai from multiple directions: the Maharashtra FDA shut down the food licence of the celebrated late-night restaurant Ayub's as part of a state-wide August 24 crackdown that inspected 37 establishments; app-based cab drivers moved the Bombay High Court to stay a government notification making Marathi mandatory for all drivers, warning it could affect close to 9.65 lakh licence holders across Maharashtra; and the Crime Branch arrested six people for leaking questions from the MPSC Drug Inspector recruitment examination before the test was conducted.
🍛 Ayub's Licence Suspended in Maharashtra FDA Crackdown
Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration conducted a state-wide inspection sweep on August 24, deploying teams to 37 hotels, restaurants, dhabas and other food establishments across the state. Of those visited, 31 received improvement notices directing them to address identified hygiene and compliance shortcomings, while the licences of four food businesses were suspended outright as the most severe penalty applied during the crackdown. The suspension that drew the greatest public attention was that of Ayub's, long regarded as one of Mumbai's most iconic and famous late-night dining spots. Inspectors found multiple hygiene violations at the restaurant, documenting the presence of houseflies, open drains and general lapses in cleanliness as the stated grounds for suspending its licence. The action demonstrated that the FDA's enforcement drive extended to well-established and heavily patronised establishments and was not limited to smaller or less prominent operators. The 31 improvement notices issued to other venues gave those establishments a formal window to bring their operations into compliance and retain their licences, while the four outright suspensions, including Ayub's, reflected the most serious violations identified across the 37 establishments inspected during the August 24 crackdown and carried the gravest immediate regulatory consequences for the businesses concerned. [1]
🗳️ Cab Drivers Challenge Marathi Language Mandate in Court
Four app-based cab drivers filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging a Maharashtra government notification issued on August 12, 2026, which required all auto-rickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers operating in the state to have a working knowledge of Marathi. The petition was submitted through advocate Vivek Shukla and sought an immediate stay on the notification, with the petitioners arguing that enforcing the rule would put the livelihoods of a very large number of working drivers at serious risk. They estimated that approximately 9.65 lakh taxi and rickshaw permit or badge holders across Maharashtra could be adversely affected if the mandate were brought into force. The challenge was mounted on both constitutional and statutory grounds. On the constitutional side, the petitioners contended that the notification violated fundamental rights protected under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution, which cover equality before the law, the freedom to practise any profession and occupation, and the right to life. They further argued that the Maharashtra government had exceeded its legal powers in issuing the August 12 notification. The matter was placed before the Bombay High Court for urgent directions, with the petitioners pressing for an immediate stay pending the full hearing of their challenge. [4]
Six Arrested for Breach of MPSC Drug Inspector Exam Confidentiality
Mumbai's Crime Branch arrested six individuals on August 26, 2026, in connection with an alleged breach of confidentiality involving the Maharashtra Public Service Commission's Drug Inspector (Group-B) recruitment examination. Police registered a case against the accused under two legislative provisions: the Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Malpractices) Act, 2024, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The investigation established that the accused had unlawfully obtained questions from the examination paper before the test was administered, gaining an illicit advantage over legitimate candidates. Following what authorities described as a meticulous investigation, all six were taken into custody and subsequently produced before a court, which remanded them to police custody until September 2, 2026. In direct response to the breach, the Maharashtra Public Service Commission cancelled the entire recruitment process for the Drug Inspector position, a step that affected all candidates who had appeared for the examination and who will now be required to participate in a fresh recruitment cycle. The arrests and the consequent cancellation represent a significant enforcement action in Maharashtra against examination malpractice, as competitive public service tests attract large numbers of aspirants and the integrity of the selection process is a matter of considerable public concern. [7]