Court Serves Notice To Ramdev, Centre Over Alleged Fish Extract In Patanjali’s ‘Vegetarian’ Product

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved are facing fresh legal challenges as a plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court, alleging that Patanjali’s herbal tooth powder, ‘Divya Manjan,’ marketed as a vegetarian product, contains non-vegetarian ingredients.

The petitioner, represented by advocate Yatin Sharma, claims to have used ‘Divya Manjan’ for an extended period due to its promotion as a vegetarian, plant-based Ayurvedic product. However, recent findings suggest that the product contains samudraphen (Sepia officinalis), which is derived from fish extract.

The plea highlights that despite the packaging of ‘Divya Manjan’ displaying a green dot—a symbol denoting vegetarian products—the ingredient list includes Sepia officinalis. The petitioner argues that this misrepresentation constitutes misbranding and violates the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Sharma expressed that this revelation has caused significant distress to him and his family, whose religious beliefs prohibit the consumption of non-vegetarian ingredients.

Furthermore, the petitioner alleges that Baba Ramdev himself admitted in a YouTube video that samudraphen, an animal-based product, is used in ‘Divya Manjan.’

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Despite lodging complaints with several government bodies, including the Delhi Police, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, and the Ministry of Ayush, the petitioner asserts that no action has been taken so far.

The plea seeks judicial intervention to address the alleged mislabeling of the product and to hold the respondents accountable. The petitioner is also seeking compensation for the distress caused by the unintentional consumption of a non-vegetarian product.

Following the submission of the plea, the Delhi High Court issued notices to Patanjali Ayurved, Baba Ramdev, the Central government, and Patanjali’s Divya Pharmacy, which manufactures the product. The next hearing is scheduled for November 28.

This is not the first time Patanjali and its co-founders, Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, have faced legal scrutiny. Previously, the Supreme Court reprimanded them for engaging in deceptive advertising practices and ordered the removal of misleading advertisements for their Ayurvedic products, accompanied by a public apology.