A court in New Delhi has ordered independent tests of Pepsi soft drinks following allegations last week by the pressure group, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), that 12 drinks produced by Pepsi and Coke in India contained traces of toxic pesticides.

PepsiCo welcomed the court ruling. “We believe that the allegations were based on flawed science,” said Rajiv Bakshi, chief executive of PepsiCo India. “We do not rule out further action for compensation to the damage done to our brand.”

The CSE said it also welcomed the ruling which it believed would corroborate its own results.