Cotton seeds failed to grow: Four companies fined Rs 50,000 each

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Seven years after a bogus seed case, the Aurangabad Bench of the Mumbai High Court has finally delivered its verdict. Justice R.M. Joshi fined four companies Rs 50,000 each for supplying defective cotton seeds in 2018.

Farmer Yakub Ayub Sheikh from Kaygaon village in Sillod tehsil had sown cotton seeds on nine acres in 2018. The seeds, purchased from companies Rashi, Aditya, Tiara, and Namdhari Seeds, turned out to be fake, causing the entire crop to fail. Sheikh had bought nine packets of 475 grams each at ₹750 per packet. The companies had claimed their seeds were disease-resistant, strong, and free from leaf curl virus. Despite these assurances, the crop was destroyed by disease.

Sheikh first approached the state agriculture commissioner seeking compensation, but his plea was ignored. He then filed a case in the Aurangabad Bench. The court instructed the agriculture commissioner to hold a hearing, after which a compensation of Rs 20,000 was ordered. Finding this amount insufficient, Sheikh challenged it in court.

The High Court ruled that all four companies must pay Rs 50,000 each, directing the compensation to be given to the farmer. Advocate Kishor Khade represented the petitioner in the case.