The Madhya Pradesh High Court has broke a decade-long deadlock in the state over a bizarre query: Is garlic a vegetable or a spice?
The MP High Court finally brought a resolution ruling that garlic is a vegetable, allowing its sale in both vegetable and spice markets.
The verdict is expected to benefit farmers and traders by allowing garlic to be considered a vegetable while still being categorised as a spice. The ruling would allow the vegetable to be sold both in vegetable and spice markets.
Garlic, known for its flavour, is often considered a spice in cooking due to its strong taste, but is botanically classified as a vegetable.
The judgement comes after a controversy that traces back to 2015 when a farmers' organisation in the state persuaded the Madhya Pradesh Mandi Board to categorise garlic as a vegetable.
However, the move was soon reversed by the Agriculture Department reclassifying garlic as a spice under the Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act of 1972.
The decision meant which state government markets could sell garlic and affect thousands of commission agents across the state.
The Potato, Onion and Garlic Commission Agent Association then approached the Indore bench in 2016, challenging the Principal Secretary's decision to reclassify it as a vegetable.
In 2017, a single judge ruled in favour of the association sparking controversy among the traders who argued that the decision benefited agents rather than farmers.
The recent order of the Indore bench of Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice D Venkataraman stemmed from of a review petition, filed by Mukesh Somani, filed in July 2017.
The HC bench upheld the 2017 ruling, restoring the previous system of garlic sales, which allows farmers to sell their produce directly in the market without paying any commission to agents.
The bench ruled that garlic is perishable and, therefore, a vegetable. It also ruled that the plant could be sold in both vegetable and spice markets.