Is Coca-Cola banned in India?

Coca-Cola has never been banned across India, and no order restricts its sale today. Two of the stories behind the question are real; neither ended in a ban.

The first is pesticides. In August 2003 the Centre for Science and Environment reported pesticide residues in Coca-Cola and PepsiCo drinks bought in Delhi. A Joint Parliamentary Committee in 2004 supported the findings and called for residue-free aerated water. In August 2006 CSE tested 57 samples of 11 brands from 12 states and again reported residues well above the draft BIS limit of 0.1 ppb per pesticide. Kerala ordered a statewide ban on 10 to 11 Aug 2006 and six other states barred the drinks from schools, colleges and hospitals. The Union health ministry said there was no conclusive proof of contamination. On 22 Sep 2006 the Kerala High Court quashed the ban, holding that a state had no power under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act to prohibit a food this way and that the companies had not been heard. The public interest litigation that grew out of the episode reached the Supreme Court, which on 22 Oct 2013 declined to ban soft drinks and instead directed FSSAI to conduct periodic checks of carbonated drinks.

The second is politics. When the United States raised tariffs on Indian goods in August 2025, Baba Ramdev called for a boycott of Pepsi, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and other American brands, and Lovely Professional University in Punjab barred Coke and Pepsi from its campus. The government said talks with the US would continue and announced no ban.

The only 2026 action is a notice. On 22 Aug 2026 FSSAI said it had issued more than 150 notices over misleading advertisements, false claims and labelling, and named Coca-Cola India among the recipients. No product was named and none was withdrawn. Coca-Cola is not banned, not recalled and not under any sale restriction in India as of 20 Sep 2026.