Rs 10,000 then, Rs 2 lakh now: Sanjay Raut claims extortion by Tukaram Mundhe's FDA

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has written to Maharashtra FDA chief Tukaram Mundhe, accusing his officials of threatening hotels and quick-commerce firms with license suspensions and extorting money. He demanded an independent probe into the allegations.Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged that the FDA's recent crackdowns had turned its Bandra headquarters and Thane office into centres of extortion. (File photo)Mumbai,Sep 28, 2026 15:15 ISTShiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday accused officials of the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) of threatening hotels and quick-commerce businesses with license suspensions and engaging in extortion.In a letter to FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, the Rajya Sabha MP demanded an independent inquiry into the allegations.Raut alleged that the FDA's recent crackdowns had turned its Bandra headquarters and Thane office into centres of extortion, with officials bypassing mandatory legal notices to extract large sums from business operators. He also sought disciplinary action against officials who, he said, were ignoring the legally prescribed procedure before suspending licenses.In his letter, Raut said several business operators from Nagpur, Pune, Solapur, Wardha and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar had approached him with accounts of alleged extortion through "closing notices". He said certain officials were taking advantage of the FDA's aggressive campaign of inspections and raids. "Designated officers (DOs), assistant commissioners and food safety officers (FSOs) are allegedly openly threatening hotels and quick-commerce businesses with suspension of their licenses and are engaging in widespread extortion," he said.Citing specific instances, Raut claimed that a pair of designated officers in Thane collected Rs 17-18 lakh from a quick-commerce company to restore a suspended license. In another case, he said, a hotel's license was suspended on the basis of a social media post about a rat, even though officials allegedly did not find any rodent during their inspection.He said most raids were reportedly initiated through customer complaints and there was no independent verification of whether those complaints were genuine or fabricated.Raut asked Mundhe to immediately order an independent inquiry into the "closing notice rate cards" allegedly operating in Bandra, Thane and other divisions, as well as cases involving the restoration of suspended licenses.Raut further claimed that before Mundhe became FDA Commissioner, the going rate for a closing notice was Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000, but after the IAS officer created what he described as an atmosphere of fear, it had risen to Rs 75,000-Rs 2 lakh.He also said the FDA should make public the reasons, dates and summary of hearings for every license suspension and later reinstatement."You (Mundhe) say that the system is improving. But if there is no control over your own officers, this improvement remains incomplete. FDA officials are now, according to the language being used by a large section of entrepreneurs, not merely demanding money but engaging in what is being described as outright looting. You cannot afford to ignore this," he wrote.- Ends