The Chennai-based Geographical Indication (GI) Registry of India on Thursday asked activist Santosh Kumar Sahu, who is batting for GI tag for Odisha Rasagola, to submit documents in support of his claim once again.

Earlier, Sahu had challenged the GI tag given to West Bengal’s Rasogolla in 2017.

Conducing a hearing, the Registry held the case ‘abandoned’ saying Odisha members had submitted documents late.

The West Bengal counterpart argued that Bhubaneswar-based Regional Development Trust (RDT) submitted the documents a week after its stipulated time and should not be accepted. The members of RDT produced the courier receipts in favour of their argument that they had mailed it long before. But, it reached the Registry late.

Hearing both the sides, the Registry directed Sahu to file documents once again within one month.

RDT vice-chairman Sahu expressed unhappiness that the Government hasn’t provided any lawyer in this case and his NGO has not got any financial assistance from neither the government nor any corporate to fight the rasagola case.

He stated that the NGO is mulling to file a re-petition again.

Notably, West Bengal had been given the GI tag for its Rasogolla in 2017, Two years later in July this year, Odisha got the GI tag for Odisha Rasagola.

Sahu had claimed that West Bengal got the tag by falsifying documents.

Further, he had submitted historical evidence citing the history of rasagola dating back to 800 years and its link with the 12th Century Jagannath Temple in Puri.