Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn has approached the Bombay High Court challenging a notice issued by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over his alleged promotion of a pan masala-linked brand through an advertisement.The FDA had issued notices to Devgn, along with actors Shah Rukh Khan and Tiger Shroff, seeking explanations over their association with an advertisement for a chewing elaichi (cardamom) brand. The regulator alleged that the advertisement could amount to indirect promotion of a brand associated with pan masala.Devgn challenged the order on Thursday under the Food Safety and Standards (Laboratory and Sample Analysis) Regulations.
His plea is scheduled to be heard on November 4.There is currently no stay on the FDA's adjudication proceedings. The process initiated by the authorities against the actors will, therefore, continue despite Devgn approaching the High Court.
The latest development comes after the Delhi High Court dismissed a plea filed by the three actors against the FDA notices, observing that courts in Maharashtra were competent to hear the matter.The Maharashtra FDA issued the notices on August 14, asking the actors to explain their roles in the advertisement and their association with the brand. The notices were sent to Devgn at his residence in Juhu, Shah Rukh Khan at Mannat in Bandra, and Shroff through his production house, Tiger Shroff Productions.
According to the FDA, the advertisement could violate provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act and its amended rules. The regulator maintained that the advertisement created an association with a brand primarily linked to pan masala.The FDA also referred to a Maharashtra government order prohibiting the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of the product in the state for one year.The action against the actors came amid the Maharashtra FDA's wider enforcement drive against gutka and pan masala products containing tobacco or nicotine.The department has also been conducting inspections and seizures in connection with various food safety violations, including adulterated milk, food served at restaurants, junk food sold in and around schools, and the manufacture and sale of banned gutka and tobacco-containing pan masala.The controversy surrounding the chewing elaichi brand is not new.
In 2022, actor Akshay Kumar faced significant backlash for appearing in an advertisement for the same brand alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn.Following the criticism, Kumar issued an apology on social media and announced that he was stepping back from the endorsement."I would like to apologise to you, all my fans and well-wishers. Your reaction over the past few days has deeply affected me," he had written.He also said he would contribute the entire endorsement fee towards a worthy cause.
However, he clarified that the brand could continue airing the advertisements until the legally binding duration of his contract ended.- Ends