In a landmark ruling, a division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court ruled that garlic should be classified as a vegetable and not a spice. The judgment, delivered by Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice D Venkata Ramana, will have a major impact on garlic trade across the country.
The court's ruling allows garlic to be sold on vegetable and spice markets, effectively removing previous trade restrictions and benefiting both farmers and sellers. The decision resolves an ongoing dispute between farmers, traders and commission agents and clarifies market regulations for garlic.
The crucial judgment was delivered by Justices SA Dharmadhikari (son of the famous railway gangster) and D Venkataraman. Their ruling aims to promote a more streamlined and equitable distribution of garlic in the market, potentially increasing economic opportunities for those involved in the garlic trade.
Profile of Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari
Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari was born in Raipur on July 8, 1966 and had a distinguished career in the legal profession. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB). Justice Dharmadhikari has a comprehensive background in civil law, criminal law and constitutional law and has over 24 years of experience as an advocate in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Jabalpur.
Justice Dharmadhikari started his legal career in 1992 as a junior counsel to Senior Advocate YS Dharmadhikari (former Attorney General of Madhya Pradesh). Between 2000 and 2015, he served as standing counsel to several reputed agencies, including the Income Tax Department, Reserve Bank of India and the Excise Department. His advice was also sought by the Hoshangabad District Central Cooperative Bank, various public sector undertakings, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, BSNL and Bhopal Gas Tragedy Victims Welfare Commissioner.
On April 7, 2016, Justice Dharmadhikari was appointed as additional judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court and was confirmed as a permanent judge on March 17, 2018.
About Justice Dupala Venkata Ramana
Justice Duppala Venkata Ramana was born on June 3, 1963, in Chinna Boddupalli village in Ponduru Mandal, Srikakulam district. His father, Duppala Appanna, was a railway gangster who died when Justice Ramana was 13 years old. Later, he was raised by his mother Mrs. Varahalamma and his brother Duppala Venkata Satyam.
Justice Ramana obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from NVP Law School, Visakhapatnam in 1989 and his postgraduate degree in Law from Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur. In June 1989, he was registered as an advocate and started practicing at the Srikakulam District Bar Association until June 1990.
Justice Ramana started his legal practice at the Visakhapatnam Bar Council and worked there till May 1994. In 1994, he was elected as district councilor and served in various locations including Amalapuram, Machera, Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Tirupati.
In January 2007, he was promoted to senior civil judge and held appointments in Hyderabad, Tirupati and Kakinada. In 2015, he was further promoted to the rank of District Judge and served as the 7th Additional District and Sessions Judge of Kakinada and the 10th Additional District and Sessions Judge of Gurujala. He also served as Devasthanam legal officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) from 2015 to 2017.
Justice Ramana served as the Registrar (Management), Registrar (Recruitment) and Registrar (Administration) from June 2019 to August 3, 2022. Additional Judge of the High Court of Hyderabad and will serve there till October 30, 2023.
