HC issues notice to Odisha, West Bengal on Rasagola’s GI tag

The Orissa High Court on Wednesday served notice to Odisha and West Bengal on a petition seeking scrapping Geographical Indication (GI) tag to ‘Banglar Rasogolla’.

Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the court served the notice to Odisha Chief Secretary, West Bengal State Council of Science and Technology, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and Chennai’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO).

“Rasagolla is the ancient identity of Odia people. It is the pride and identity of the people of Odisha. Our argument before the court was that the tag that has been given to the state of West Bengal is illogical and we want the GI tag for Odisha since it’s our identity,” said advocate Siddharth Prasad Das.

Susanta Sahu, Secretary of Punya Utkal Foundation and Santosh Kumar Sahoo, Editor of Odia Parba, had filed the PIL on February 5 seeking GI tag for ‘Odishara Rasagola’ and scrapping GI tag received by West Bengal.

They alleged that West Bengal got the GI tag on November 14 last year by furnishing false evidence and data.

Earlier, the GI Registry office on March 16 issued a show-cause notice to the West Bengal State Food Processing and Horticulture Development Corporation asking it why the tag given to ‘Banglar Rasogolla’ will not be withdrawn, said sources.

Regional Development Trust chairman Ramesh Chandra Sahoo, who moved the application, alleged that West Bengal had received the GI status by furnishing false evidence and data.

Notably, the Odisha government has already filed an application for GI tag for ‘Odishara Rasagola’.

The Odisha Small Industries Corporation Ltd (OSIC) filed the application with the GI Registry in Chennai in February this year. (IANS)