In summary,
- The petitioner asserts that fish extract is present in Patanjali’s “Divya Manjan,” and Plea accuses the product of misbranding and violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
- Notice of upcoming hearing on November 28 for Ramdev and Patanjali from the court
In a new legal setback for yoga master Baba Ramdev, a Delhi High Court case has been filed against his Patanjali Ayurvedic products, claiming that the company’s vegetarian-marketed herbal tooth powder, “Divya Manjan,” contains non-vegetarian substances.
Because “Divya Manjan” is marketed as a plant-based, vegetarian ayurvedic product, the petitioner says that she has been using it for a long time. But according to current studies, the product includes samudraphen (Sepia officinalis), which is made from fish extract.
Advocate Yatin Sharma filed the petition, claiming that although Patanjali’s Divya Manjan product package has a green dot, a mark for vegetarian products, the ingredient list makes it obvious that Sepia officinalis is present in the tooth powder.
The petitioner claims that this violates the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and amounts to misbranding. Sharma said that because non-vegetarian components are forbidden by their religious beliefs, this discovery is especially upsetting for him and his family.
Additionally, the petitioner claims that Ramdev acknowledged in a YouTube video that “Divya Manjan” uses samudraphen, an animal-based substance.
The petitioner claims that no action has been taken despite filing complaints with multiple government agencies, including the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the Delhi Police, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, and the Ministry of Ayush.
The plea asks the court to step in and hold the respondents responsible for the product’s purported mislabeling. In addition, the petitioner is requesting damages for the suffering brought on by unintentionally consuming a non-vegetarian product.
The Delhi High Court, upon considering the case, sent notices on Patanjali Ayurveda, Baba Ramdev, the Central government, and the company that makes the product, Patanjali’s Divya Pharmacy. The date of the upcoming hearing is November 28.
The Supreme Court has earlier chastised Patanjali and its co-founders, Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, for using misleading advertising techniques. They were ordered by the highest court to remove all deceptive ads for their ayurvedic medications and provide public apology statements.