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' [Ajay Devgan v. State of Maharashtra & Ors.].
The petition is likely to be heard by a division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh C Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna on November 4.
The dispute stems from regulatory notices issued by the Maharashtra FDA alleging that advertisements for ‘Vimal Elaichi’ amount to the surrogate promotion of ‘Vimal Pan Masala’, a chewable product banned within Maharashtra.
Similar notices were also served to co-brand ambassadors Shah Rukh Khan and Tiger Shroff.
In his petition, Devgn has challenged the constitutionality of the provisions of the FDA regulations. He has argued that the notice was arbitrarily served directly on him as an actor rather than on the manufacturing company.
Previously, the product's manufacturer, PB Agro, approached the Delhi High Court in August to quash the notices. However, the High Court dismissed the plea, ruling that it lacked territorial jurisdiction.
The Court observed that since the controversy concerned actions taken by the Mumbai FDA regarding alleged activities in Maharashtra, the State’s courts were the appropriate forum.
After this dismissal, Devgn has now moved the Bombay High Court.
Devgn is being represented by DSK legal team led by partners Parag Khandhar and Chandrima Mitra.