Minister Zirwal stays FDA action against Ranjangaon methanol firm ASK Chemicals

A fresh controversy has erupted months after the Pune hooch tragedy. Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Minister Narhari Zirwal has allegedly stayed action by FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe against M/s ASK Chemicals India Pvt. Ltd., a methanol-manufacturing company at Ranjangaon. It is alleged that the company is linked to a minister of the NCP.

A copy of Zirwal's order is available. It was issued on September 9, 2026. Under it, the company's appeal has been taken on record and the licensing authority's order of June 17, 2026, which cancelled the licence, will remain suspended for now. The company is located in MIDC Group F-1 at Ranjangaon in Shirur taluka of Pune district. It had appealed to the minister against the cancellation order of the Joint Commissioner (Drugs), Maharashtra FDA, Pune, who is the licensing authority.

According to the order, after examining the appellant's arguments and the initial facts, the minister allowed the appeal and temporarily stayed the licence cancellation, subject to certain conditions. The relief is not unconditional.

The order sets these conditions. First, the competent person registered with the establishment cannot be absent from the premises. Second, the company must keep accurate records of all transactions of goods coming in and going out. Third, there must be no irregularities in the stock records of the purchase, storage and sale of products. Fourth, the company must rectify the remaining deficiencies cited in the licensing authority's June 17 order within 15 days of receiving the minister's order. Fifth, it must then submit a compliance report to the authority.

The minister has also directed the Licensing Officer of Zone 6 to inspect the premises regularly and send an inspection report to the competent authority every quarter. The company's compliance will thus not be taken as satisfied on paper alone, and it will remain under watch. The order also clarifies that if the compliance report is not submitted within the stipulated time, the appeal may be decided on merits under Section 8 of the relevant rule.

The matter assumes importance against the backdrop of the hooch tragedy of May 26 to 28, 2026, in which 22 people died in Pune's Hadapsar and the Phugewadi-Dapodi area of Pimpri-Chinchwad. Many people allegedly had to be hospitalised after drinking country liquor laced with methanol. Methanol is a highly toxic industrial chemical that can cause fatal poisoning.

After the incident, cases were registered at Hadapsar and Dapodi police stations. The investigation was later handed over to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The CID allegedly uncovered an organised network involved in procuring, adulterating and distributing the liquor. The procurement trail led to Radheshyam Prajapati of Uruli Kanchan. Yogesh Ramchandra Wahankade, alias Sikandar Rathod, is accused of mixing methanol into the liquor and having it distributed in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. The methanol supply reached a warehouse in Bhiwandi through an intermediary. In connection with this alleged chemical supply chain, several people were arrested, including company owner Arun Choubey and his son Abhishek Choubey.

On October 28, the CID filed a chargesheet against nine arrested accused in the special MCOCA court. One suspect is reportedly still absconding.

Tukaram Mundhe had initiated proceedings against ASK Chemicals as part of a drive to curb the misuse and diversion of methanol. The stay has now raised some questions. What was the basis for halting the FDA action? Was the commissioner's inquiry examined before the intervention? Were public safety and the findings from the Pune tragedy considered? Has the company received relief on technical grounds, or is there some other reason?

The matter has taken a political colour because of allegations that the Ranjangaon company is linked to an NCP leader and that there may have been political pressure on the minister's decision. These are allegations. For the families of those who lost their lives, this is not merely an administrative matter. For them, the question is accountability for the circumstances in which a toxic chemical allegedly found its way into illicit liquor and lives were lost.