Paediatrician flags ORSL remains on shelves despite Delhi High Court ban

Dr. Sivaranjani Santosh, Hyderabad-based paediatrician, has again sounded the alarm after spotting ORSL, a sugary electrolyte drink, still being sold across India despite a Delhi High Court order banning mislabelled ORS products.

In a video message on X, Dr. Santosh said, “There is a limit to our patience. The Delhi High Court has clearly ruled that tetrapacks and beverages misbranded as ORS cannot be sold. Only WHO-recommended formula ORS is allowed to carry the ORS label. Despite this, ORSL is everywhere.”

She urged the Supreme Court, along with child rights and human rights groups, to take suo motu cognisance of the continued violations.

Her warning was that these sugary drinks can worsen dehydration in children, aggravate diarrhoea.

“Gullible parents should not give this liquid to their children with diarrhoea. Diarrhoea kills,” she said.

Dr. Santosh’s outcry comes after nearly eight years of fighting corporate giants to ensure that the term ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution), a life-saving medical formulation, is not misused on commercial beverages. Her sustained efforts



contributed to a major regulatory breakthrough.

On October 15, 2025, the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) issued a critical directive clarifying that drinks, fruit beverages, or ready-to-drink products cannot use the term “ORS” on their labels.

Only WHO-approved, pharmaceutical-grade Oral Rehydration Solution, with its exact composition, qualifies as ORS.

The authority warned that misusing “ORS” misleads consumers through “false, deceptive, ambiguous, and erroneous” labelling and violates India’s food safety, advertising, and labelling rules.

According to Dr. Santosh, mislabelled products risk confusing parents, leading them to choose sugary beverages over life-saving medical ORS during emergencies.

While FSSAI’s directive is now in force, Dr. Santosh argues that enforcement remains weak, with ORSL still widely available on e-commerce sites and in stores.

Her appeal to the Supreme Court seeks stronger action against companies violating the law and urgent protection for children who could be harmed by misleading labels masquerading as medicine.