PB Agro challenges Maharashtra FDA notices to celebrity ambassadors

PB Agro LLP, the manufacturer of Vimal Elaichi, has approached the Delhi High Court to challenge show-cause notices issued by the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). The notices were directed at the brand's celebrity ambassadors—Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff.

The Maharashtra FDA alleges that the advertisements for Vimal Elaichi constitute surrogate promotion for Vimal Pan Masala, a product banned in the state. The regulator had requested that the actors provide documentation proving the elaichi product is distinct from the banned pan masala and called for the cessation of the promotional campaign and the removal of digital materials.

Legal counsel for PB Agro argued that the Maharashtra FDA lacks jurisdiction to halt the advertisements and noted that the notices were issued to the actors rather than the company itself. The company further contended that the surrogate advertising allegations are baseless, stating that Vimal pan masala has not been sold in Maharashtra since 2001 and that tobacco-containing pan masala has been banned nationwide by the Supreme Court since 2013. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma has reserved her verdict on the preliminary issue of whether the Delhi High Court has the jurisdiction to hear the matter.