This is an archive article published on May 2, 2019
Gujarat: PepsiCo withdraws lawsuits against nine farmers
Amidst uproar across the nation, among activists and farmers unions, Nitin Patel, deputy chief minister had said on April 27 that the government will seek to be added as a party in the lawsuits to back the farmers.
The company claimed that it has exclusively registered the potato variety under its name under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001. The variety is used by the company for making potato chips of Lay’s brand. (Representational/ Pixabay)
PepsiCo India, on Thursday evening, decided to withdraw lawsuits against the nine farmers who had been slapped with a lawsuit by the company for “illegally” growing and selling a variety of potato registered by them under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001.
JN Singh, state chief secretary said, “The company officials will be meeting us at Gandhinagar on Friday, to look into the details of the arrangement.”
In a statement, PepsiCo India’s spokesperson, said, “PepsiCo has been in India for the last 30 years. Over the years, the Company has developed a best in class collaborative potato farming program which has benefited thousands of farmers across the country. The program which included several market awareness initiatives has resulted in farmers getting access to higher yields, enhanced quality, training in best-in-class practices and better prices, all leading to improved livelihoods. To safeguard the larger interest of farmers, PepsiCo India was compelled to take judicial recourse to protect its registered variety. PepsiCo from the very start had also offered an amicable settlement to farmers. After discussions with the (state) government, the company has agreed to withdraw cases against farmers. We are relying on the said discussions to find a long term and an amicable resolution of all issues around seed protection.”
The six lawsuits slapped against nine farmers had sought damages ranging from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 1.05 crore. PIH has accused the farmers of illegally growing, producing and selling the potato plant variety ‘FL-2027’ (commercial name FC-5), “without permission of PIH,” for which the company is the registered breeder, under the provisions of the PPV&FR Act, 2001. Four from Vadali taluka in Sabarkantha district had been slapped and five others from Modasa taluka in Aravalli district.
In March 2018, PIH slapped two special civil suits against five farmers – One, with defendants Prabhudas Patel, Bharat Patel, Jeetu Patel and Vinod Patel, and second with defendant Jigarkumar Patel – all from the Aravalli district. The company had demanded Rs 20 lakh in damages in each of the two suit.
On April 5 this year, the company had further slapped commercial trademark civil suits on four others – Bipin Patel, Vinod Patel, Chabilbhai Patel and Haribhai Patel – all from Sabarkantha district, seeking Rs 1.05 crore in damages.
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Amidst uproar across the nation, among activists and farmers unions, Nitin Patel, deputy chief minister had said on April 27 that the government will seek to be added as a party in the lawsuits to back the farmers. Later, on Wednesday, the state government had been in talks with the company for an out-of-court settlement.
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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The company claimed that it has exclusively registered the potato variety under its name under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001. The variety is used by the company for making potato chips of Lay’s brand. (Representational/ Pixabay)
