The Maharashtra FDA has suspended the food licenses of three restaurants (Govinda’s Restaurant) in the ISKCON temple complex in Juhu, Mumbai, and Zepto’s Malad and Kalwa hubs.
Updated: September 9, 2026, 11:32 AM IST
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FDA Commissioner Tukaram Munde strikes again, takes action against ISKCON’s ‘Govinda’s Restaurant’ (File image)
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food licenses of three restaurants inside the ISKCON temple complex in Juhu, including the famous Govinda’s Restaurant.
The action, conducted under the supervision of FDA Commissioner Tukaram Munde, revealed that the kitchens, long trusted for serving satvik food, had clogged drains, dirty water accumulated near the cold storage area, and insects were roaming around.
Licenses of 3 restaurants inside ISKCON suspended
On September 3, 2026, food safety officials who visited the premises to inspect it found that raw, semi-cooked and prepared food was stored together without proper separation, posing a serious risk of cross-contamination.
There were no grease and cockroach traps in the food storage area, cooking oil was not checked and there was insect infestation in the storeroom.
VIDEO | Mumbai: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended the food licences of an IRCTC-linked supplier in Kurla and three food establishments at ISKCON, Juhu, for alleged violations of normsVisuals of ISKCON temple.
(Full video available on PTI Videos… pic.twitter.com/a6OzYGEwQt
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 9, 2026
Many kitchen staff were preparing food without aprons, gloves, or valid medical fitness certificatesUntil all regulations are fully followed, the preparation or sale of food at all three Juhu Temple locations will be prohibited.
An ISKCON representative confirmed that the FDA had taken action, but declined to comment further.
Zepto facilities closed
At quick-commerce company Zepto’s dark store in Malad West, food inspectors found live cockroaches roaming inside egg crates and on a drink-making table.
Perishable dairy products like cheese, milk and yogurt were stored in a refrigeration unit at 15.8 degrees Celsius, causing the packages to swell and spoil the goods.
The hub had no drinking water pipeline, so the cooks had to use 20-litre jars passing through an open sewage line, which led to the immediate suspension of the licence.
The license of Zepto’s Kalwa hub in Thane was also suspended after inspectors found expired goods stored there.
Who is Tukaram Mundhe?
Tukaram Mundhe was born on June 3, 1975, in Tadsonna village in Maharashtra’s Beed districtHe comes from a farming family and spent his early years facing financial difficultiesHe completed his schooling at a Zilla Parishad school before moving to Aurangabad for higher studiesHe earned a bachelor’s degree in History and a master’s degree in Political Science from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University.
Mundhe cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2004 with an All India Rank (AIR) of 20, earning a place in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS)He joined the Maharashtra cadre as a 2005-batch IAS officer.
