Why it is in the news
On 18 September 2026, a Supreme Court bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, in M/S Balaji Formalin Pvt. Ltd. v. Union of India (2026 INSC 1009), struck down Rules 18A and 18B of the Maharashtra Poisons Rules, 1972 as violating Articles 14 and 19(1)(g). Those rules had required every seller of methanol to mix one gram of methylene carmine and four grams of denatonium saccharide into every 100 litres before selling to any buyer other than a certified drug manufacturer, and provided for confiscation of methanol held without a Form A licence.
The exam angle
Issue: When a State regulates a lawful industrial input to prevent an unlawful downstream use, what evidentiary standard must its subordinate legislation meet, and does proportionality review of such rules strengthen or hollow out the State's public-health powers under Article 47?