The Supreme Court on Thursday lifted a stay on the proceedings in a case filed by the Centre in the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission against Nestle India, seeking damages of Rs 640 crore on charges of unfair trade practices, false labelling and misleading advertisements, PTI reported. The top court had stayed the proceedings in 2015 after Nestle had challenged it.

The Consumer Affairs Ministry had filed a complaint against Nestle India citing provisions of the Consumer Protection Act. The complaint stated that Nestle had caused harm to Indian consumers by allegedly indulging in unfair trade practices and false labelling related to Maggi noodles.

The Centre’s petition said that the company had misled consumers by claiming that the noodles were an healthy item. After several allegations of the presence of high lead content and monosodium glutamate, Nestle had been forced to withdraw the instant noodles from the market.

A bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud on Thursday said that a report from Mysuru-based Central Food Technological Research Institute, where Maggi noodle samples were tested in 2016, will form the basis for the proceedings.