Ajay Devgn moves Bombay High Court against FDA action over Vimal Elaichi advertisement

Actor Ajay Devgn has approached the Bombay High Court. He has challenged the action initiated by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over an advertisement for Vimal Elaichi. The FDA alleges that the advertisement is in effect surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala.

FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe gave this information at a press conference on Friday. Mundhe said, "One of them, Ajay Devgn, has gone to the High Court."

The matter dates to earlier this year. The FDA had sent show-cause notices to Ajay Devgn, Shah Rukh Khan and Tiger Shroff over their Vimal Elaichi advertisements. The department alleged that the advertisements indirectly promoted Vimal Pan Masala through surrogate branding.

The notices were delivered to Shah Rukh Khan's residence Mannat in Bandra, Ajay Devgn's bungalow in Juhu and Tiger Shroff's production company. The three actors were asked to reply within 15 days and to remove all promotional material from their social media accounts and digital platforms.

According to Mundhe, all three actors replied to the notices and sought more time for a hearing. The FDA's Assistant Commissioner, who is the competent authority to conduct the proceedings, granted the extra time. The Assistant Commissioner has now completed the hearings, and proceedings at that level have ended. The cases have now been sent to the Joint Commissioner for a decision.

The FDA has also invoked Sections 24 and 53 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, along with provisions of the Consumer Protection Act. The department alleges that the advertisements used the same brand identity, the same dialogues and the same style of presentation. It says this could create a misleading brand recall of Vimal Pan Masala through the promotion of Vimal Elaichi.

As matters stand, all three cases are before the Joint Commissioner for a decision, while Ajay Devgn has moved the Bombay High Court against the proceedings.