Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn has approached the Bombay High Court challenging a show-cause notice issued by the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) over his appearance in advertisements for Vimal Elaichi. The petition raises questions about the regulatory action taken against celebrity endorsers over advertisements allegedly promoting a banned product indirectly.
The Maharashtra FDA alleges that Vimal Elaichi advertisements amount to surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, which is banned in Maharashtra. Similar notices were reportedly issued to Shah Rukh Khan and Tiger Shroff, who have also endorsed the brand.
Devgn has challenged the regulatory provisions and questioned why the notice was issued directly to him as an actor rather than to the manufacturer.
The petition follows an earlier challenge by Vimal product manufacturer PB Agro before the Delhi High Court. That court dismissed the plea on territorial jurisdiction grounds, holding that the dispute concerned actions taken by Maharashtra authorities and should be considered by the appropriate court in that state.
Devgn's petition is expected to come before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Mahesh C. Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna on November 4.
The petition challenges the FDA's action against Devgn and seeks judicial scrutiny of the provisions under which the notice was issued.
The matter is listed for hearing
