The company and owner of AAJ India have each been fined $10,000 after a number of very serious food handling and compliance breaches at the restaurant.
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A routine inspection by health officers in January uncovered the issues at AAJ and led to Bains Food Pty Ltd and Karanvir Singh each being charged with 11 breaches of the Food Act 2003.
In total, the charges were 18 counts of compliance with food standards code, two counts of sale of unsuitable food and two counts of handling of unsuitable food.
The company and Singh in June pleaded guilty to 11 charges each.
During sentencing in the Launceston Magistrates Court on Monday, the court heard both the company's eateries - AAJ Indian and Hari's Curry - had closed because there'd been no trade at either restaurant since The Examiner reported on the charges.
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The "terrible condition" of the AAJ India and concerning staff food handling practices came to light during the routine inspection by City of Launceston council health officers at the Charles Street business in January.
Singh, who appeared for himself and the company on Monday, was visiting his sick mother overseas when the inspection took place.
Magistrate Simon Brown said although Singh was overseas, the breaches could not be viewed as isolated events because of the state of the restaurant, which could've led to dire consequences.
At the inspection, a health officer raised concerns about food handling, particularly in relation to contact between cooked and raw food.
A senior health officer was called in to assist with further inspections, which led to the chef voluntarily closing the restaurant for the night.
The health officers took notes and photos of what they found in the kitchen, freezer and cool room, with a more thorough inspection leading to the seizure and disposal of food that was decomposing and putrid, the court previously heard.
The restaurant didn't have access to hot water and the refrigeration facilities were not working at the time of the inspection, which Mr Brown labelled as very, very serious.
Mr Brown said Singh had a considerable amount of experience in the hospitality industry, so it was concerning a restaurant he operated was left in such a state.
"Proper standards simply must be adhered to," Mr Brown said.
"People do not and can not know what happens in a kitchen ... they expect and rely on proper standards."
Staff at AAJ were retrained in food handling practices after the inspection and the restaurant reopened for a period of time, but the court heard both restaurants had since closed.
The court heard 38-year-old Singh, of Riverside, had been in an appalling financial situation for a very long time as a result of the charges and his marriage breakdown.
Singh and the company were each convicted of 11 charges.
