NEW DELHI: Just a day after the Government announced it was moving a Consumer Court, the Bombay High Court lifted the nationwide ban on Maggi Noodles but asked Nestle India to test five variants of noodles at three accredited labs.

The Court said in a sharp indictment that principles of natural justice were not followed by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in passing the impugned order of ban. 

Holding that tests must be completed within six weeks, the Court told Nestle India that if test reports suggest that lead is within permissible limit then it can start the sale of products. 

In June, the FSSAI said the popular snack was found "hazardous and unsafe for human consumption."

More than 2,700 samples of Maggi noodles have been tested by laboratories in India and abroad in recent months, and each test confirmed the level of lead to be "far below permissible limits," Nestle had said in a recent statement.

The Department of Consumer Affairs' claim for Rs 639.95 crore in damages from Nestle is to be heard by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) in probably the class-action suit against a multinational. The ruling of the quasi-judicial body will be legally binding.

In June, the country's food safety regulator banned Maggi after excessive amounts of lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG) were reported in samples tested in Uttar Pradesh.