New Delhi: Stung by the "pesticides report" on Colas by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), leading soft drinks manufacturer Pepsi on August 8 filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court seeking to restrain the non-governmental organisation (NGO) from publishing the report while asking for independent evaluation of the "damaging" report.

The petition filed by PepsiCo India Holdings Ltd, Pearl Drinks and its director C K Jaipuria has listed Union Ministries of Health, Defence and Food Processing as respondents.

Other respondents mentioned in the petition are Bureau of Indian Standards, CSE and its director Sunita Narayan.

It has requested the High Court to direct the government not to act on the basis of the CSE report alleging presence of pesticides in Indian colas much above the permitted levels as compared to the same product in European countries.

It requested the court to "pass an ex-parte interim order directing the respondents not to act upon the report dated August 5, 2003, titled 'Analysis of Pesticide Residue in Soft Drinks' in any manner".

It also said that the government should immediately set up a committee of experts and refer the issue to determine the correctness and veracity of the CSE report and the mode in which the same was prepared.

PepsiCo also requested the court to restrain CSE and its director Narayan from publishing "any unsubstantiated statements or materials against PepsiCo and to forthwith withdraw all such material from circulation and from its website".

PTI