Delhi HC issues notice to Ramdev over alleged 'fish extracts' in Patanjali's veg product

Ramdev receives court notice. (Courtesy: PTI photo)

In fresh trouble for yoga guru Ramdev, the Delhi High Court has issued notice to Patanjali Ayurved over a plea alleging misbranding of its dental care product 'Divya Dant Manjan'.

According to the petitioner, the Patanjali product, which is sold with a 'green dot' symbolising that it was a vegetarian commodity, contains fish extracts. He said that the dental care product contains 'samudraphen' (sepia officinalis), which is derived from fish extract.

"The law does not mandate declaration of a drug as vegetarian or non-vegetarian but the packaging of 'Divya Dant Manjan' wrongly carries a 'green dot', which qualifies as 'misbranding' under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act," the petitioner's counsel argued.

Justice Sanjeev Narula issued notice to the Centre, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as well as Patanjali, Divya Pharmacy, Yoga guru Ramdev and other related parties on the petition by lawyer Yatin Sharma.

In his plea, Sharma claimed that this discovery was "distressing" for him and his family which consumes only vegetarian products on account of religious beliefs and sentiments. He asserted that there was a need to address the lapse on the part of the authorities in taking appropriate action against those responsible for the production and promotion of Divya Dant Manjan in its present form.

"The petitioner seeks redressal for the profound distress caused by the inadvertent consumption of a non-vegetarian product, emphasizing the importance of upholding religious beliefs and ensuring transparency in product representation," the petition, filed through lawyers Mohit Solanki and Pulkit Chaudhary, stated.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court tore into Patanjali Ayurved for putting out misleading advertisements. Ramdev and the firm's managing director Acharya Balkrishna also tendered unconditional apology for publishing misleading medical advertisements violating the undertaking given to the apex court.