What happened in Puri
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has seized 8,295 bottles of packaged drinking water and 500 labels carrying the ISI mark from a unit in the Kusupur area of Puri district, Odisha. UNI India reported the action on 28 October 2026 and OrissaPOST on 29 October 2026.
According to both reports, the unit was filling and dispatching water in PET bottles that carried the ISI mark, but it did not hold a valid BIS licence. The stock seized was 31 cartons of 2-litre bottles, 202 cartons of 1-litre bottles and 233 cartons of 500 ml bottles. OrissaPOST reports that a four-member BIS team led by Joint Director Tithi Singha carried out the action and that further legal action is being started under the BIS Act, 2016. The unit has not been named in the reports.
"But BIS is not mandatory any more"
That is correct, and it is where many plant owners get confused. FSSAI removed the compulsory BIS certification requirement for packaged drinking water and mineral water by an amendment notified on 17 October 2024, effective 18 October 2024. Since then, a plant can sell packaged drinking water with an FSSAI licence and without a BIS licence (see our explainer on BIS no longer being mandatory and the high-risk category rules).
Voluntary does not mean the ISI mark is free to use. The mark is the BIS Standard Mark, and only a holder of a valid BIS licence may apply it. Section 17(3) of the BIS Act, 2016 bars any person from using or applying a Standard Mark, or a colourable imitation of it, on goods without a valid licence from BIS. In short: you may choose not to hold a BIS licence, but then your label must not carry the ISI mark.
One state exception: Uttar Pradesh's FSDA order of 14 October 2026 makes BIS certification compulsory for packaged drinking water and mineral water units in UP (existing units by 31 March 2027). See our UP update. Nationally, BIS remains voluntary.
What the law provides
The news reports cite the BIS Act, 2016 without naming specific sections. In earlier packaged water cases, BIS press releases cited section 28 (search and seizure), section 17 (use of the Standard Mark) and section 29 (penalties). Under section 29(3), a contravention of section 17 is punishable with imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of not less than Rs 2 lakh for a first contravention and not less than Rs 5 lakh for later ones, which may extend to ten times the value of the goods, or both. Section 29(4) makes this offence cognizable.
Similar BIS actions on packaged water
The Puri case is not the first. Here are three reported BIS actions involving the ISI mark on packaged drinking water:
| Date reported | Place | What was seized (as reported) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Dec 2023 | Madhavaram, Chennai (Tamil Nadu) | 77 filled 20-litre jars with a spurious ISI mark and another manufacturer's brand name and licence number | PIB (BIS Chennai) |
| 15 May 2024 | Salavathy village, Tindivanam (Tamil Nadu) | 189 x 2 L bottles, 180 x 500 ml bottles, 106 x 20 L jars and about 3,00,000 labels with a spurious ISI mark | PIB (BIS Chennai) |
| 28-29 Oct 2026 | Kusupur, Puri district (Odisha) | 8,295 bottles (2 L, 1 L, 500 ml) and 500 ISI-marked labels | UNI India, OrissaPOST |
The two Tamil Nadu cases happened while BIS was still compulsory for packaged water. The Odisha case shows that enforcement on the ISI mark continues after BIS became voluntary.
What this means for water plant owners
- Check your licence status before every label print run. If your BIS licence has lapsed, been surrendered or not been renewed since October 2024, stop using any label, shrink sleeve, jar sticker or carton that shows the ISI mark or a CM/L licence number.
- Old label stock is the usual trap. Plants often have rolls of pre-printed labels from the BIS days. Those cannot be used once the licence is no longer valid. Destroy or reprint them and keep a record.
- Do not borrow another unit's licence. A BIS licence is granted for a specific manufacturing premises. Printing another plant's licence number, as in the 2023 Chennai case, is misuse.
- Watch indirect claims too. Lines such as "IS 14543 certified" on labels, cartons, price lists or websites should be used only if you hold a valid licence.
- Keep the label consistent with your FSSAI licence. The FSSAI licence number, name and address on the label should match your licence. Our label checklist covers the FSSAI and Legal Metrology items.
- If you want the ISI mark, get the licence. Some institutional buyers and tenders still ask for it. See our guide to the BIS licence under IS 14543.
Consumers and buyers can check whether an ISI licence is genuine on the BIS Care app, which BIS also promotes for reporting suspected misuse.
How ClearPath Compliance India can help
We review packaged drinking water labels against FSSAI, Legal Metrology and BIS requirements, check whether your current licences support every mark and claim on the pack, and handle BIS licence applications and renewals where you choose to keep the ISI mark. We also manage the other approvals a water plant needs, from the FSSAI licence to CGWA NOC and Pollution Control Board consent. Our PDW plant approval checklist lists every licence in order. Contact us for a label review.
Sources
- UNI India: BIS-Bhubaneswar initiates legal action over unlicensed ISI marking (28 Oct 2026)
- OrissaPOST: BIS initiates action over unlicensed ISI mark use (29 Oct 2026)
- PIB: BIS raid on packaged drinking water unit, Chennai (13 Dec 2023)
- PIB: BIS raid on packaged drinking water unit, Tindivanam (15 May 2024)
- Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, Section 17 (text)
- Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, Section 29 (text)
General information only, not legal advice. Rules and case details are as reported by the sources on the dates stated; check the current notification and your licence conditions before acting. Brand and business names, if any, are trademarks of their owners and are used for identification only. This article is not sponsored or endorsed by any brand named.