Ajay Devgn challenges FDA notice over Vimal Elaichi ad; Nov 4

Ajay Devgn has asked the Bombay High Court to set aside a show-cause notice from the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration over a television advertisement for Vimal Elaichi. The plea, expected to be heard on November 4, argues that the regulator has aimed its action at the wrong person.

The FDA had earlier sent similar notices to Shah Rukh Khan and Tiger Shroff over their appearances in Vimal Elaichi campaigns. The regulator alleges that the ads indirectly promote Vimal Pan Masala, a chewable product prohibited in Maharashtra under an order dated July 13, 2026.

What the notices claim

The FDA has invoked Section 24 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which bars misleading or deceptive advertisements concerning food products. In its notice, the department said the Vimal advertisement ‘prima facie appears’ to promote a brand ‘mainly associated with Pan Masala’. That product is prohibited for manufacture, storage, transport, distribution and sale in the state for one year from the date of the prohibition order.

• Ajay Devgn: notice served at his Juhu residence.
• Shah Rukh Khan: notice served at Mannat, Bandra.
• Tiger Shroff: notice delivered through Tiger Shroff Productions LLP.

None of the three actors has commented publicly so far. The notices triggered considerable controversy, but the stars have kept their responses private.

Devgn’s legal line

According to PTI, Devgn has argued that the show-cause notice was wrongly directed at him in his capacity as an actor instead of being issued to the manufacturing company. The division bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna is expected to take up the matter on November 4.

That distinction is the crux of the case. If the court accepts it, regulatory action over a brand’s ad may have to land on the producer rather than the celebrity face. The outcome could therefore be watched closely by actors, sports stars and other public figures who lend their names to brand extensions.

The bigger campaign

The Vimal notices are part of a wider Maharashtra FDA drive. Officials have been checking food and milk adulteration, monitoring unhealthy food sold near schools, and cracking down on banned gutka and tobacco-based pan masala. The department has also stepped up inspections and seizures in recent months.

What happens next

The November 4 hearing will show whether the court is willing to entertain the actor-versus-manufacturer argument at this stage. Until then, the controversy around the Vimal Elaichi campaign remains unresolved, and the three stars have stayed silent.

Source: The Times of India