Liquor firm Som Distilleries challenges license suspension in child labour case

A child who was found illegally working in a distillery shows their hands, which the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said were burnt due to contact with chemicals, in this picture obtained from social media.

Indian liquor company Som Group has asked a state court to quash a government decision to temporarily suspend manufacturing licenses of one of its distilleries where a federal agency found 59 children working illegally, a court filing showed.

Police, who have been investigating the Som distillery in Raisen district in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, locked its premises after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights this month found 39 boys and 20 girls working at the factory.

The agency also released photos of children's hands it said showed burns due to contact with chemicals, and said some of the children were transported to the factory in school buses.

In a 169-page court filing in the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, Som argued the licenses were wrongly suspended as the investigation into the allegations of child labour were still ongoing.

"There is no conclusion to the effect as to whether in reality any child was employed or not," Som Distilleries Pvt Ltd said in a court filing, which is not public but was reviewed by Reuters.

Som did not respond to a request for comment, and neither did the Madhya Pradesh state government. The case was heard on Thursday but no order was passed.

In the previous statement, Som Distilleries and Breweries Ltd said the issue was related to a plant run by its associate company, which used labour supplied by contractors who may not have carried out proper age checks.

The firm's stock has fallen 9.3% since the human rights agency visited the distillery on June 15.