Do Two Flies A Cultural Disruption Make?

Kentucky Fried Chicken reopened its franchised restaurant in the Indian capital Monday, an hour after it won a court battle against the city government.

It was the second victory for the American fast food restaurant operator in the last six months. In June, a court ordered the chains unlocked on the KFC outlet in southern city of Bangalore shortly after it was closed by local authorities.

KFC, owned by Pepsico Inc., and a handful of other international chains have been singled out by Indian conservatives who object to unrestricted foreign investment and the introduction of “junk food” which they say corrupts Indian culture.

On Monday, the New Delhi High Court overturned a city ordinance cancelling KFC’s license three weeks ago. The court’s detailed judgment was to be released later.

The restaurant was closed after inspectors said they found two flies in the kitchen and garbage outside the back door.

The city also objected to the presence of a unauthorized substance, sodium aluminium phosphate, in KFC products. But critics accused the city government, run by the conservative Bharatiya Janata Party, of playing politics by ordering the shutdown.

The company has announced plans to open more outlets in major Indian cities and invest $80 million over the next seven years.