Actor Ajay Devgn Challenges Maharashtra FDA Show-Cause Notice in Bombay High Court
Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn has filed a legal petition before the Bombay High Court challenging a regulatory show-cause notice issued by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration over his promotional appearance in a Vimal Elaichi commercial, according to reporting by The Times of India. A division bench consisting of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna is scheduled to hear the matter on November 4. The legal plea filed through legal counsel Parag Khandhar and Chandrima Mitra of law firm DSK Legal contends that the statutory notice was wrongfully addressed to him as an actor rather than being directed at the manufacturing corporate entity. Devgn argues that the administrative action violates statutory procedures established under the Food Safety and Standards Advertising and Claims Regulations of 2018.
High Court Petition and Legal Representation
In his court petition, Devgn contends that the state food regulator acted with a premeditated and predetermined outlook, turning the procedural requirement to show cause into an empty formality. The petition asserts that the regulatory action is arbitrary and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India along with fundamental principles of natural justice, The Times of India reported. The actor maintains that regulators failed to furnish the exact promotional broadcast recordings forming the evidentiary basis of the notice, preventing an effective legal response. Legal representatives argued that the issuance of immediate compliance orders and final warnings demonstrates that authorities had arrived at a predetermined punitive conclusion.
The regulatory notice stated that further proceedings could be initiated against Ajay Devgn without additional reference if an explanation was not received within the permitted timeframe or proved unsatisfactory.
Constitutional Challenges and Procedural Objections
The regulatory dispute originated after the Maharashtra food safety authority served notices on August 11 to Devgn alongside fellow actors Shah Rukh Khan and Tiger Shroff, The Times of India noted. Regulators delivered the communications to individual residences, serving Devgn at his Juhu property, Khan at his Bandra residence, and Shroff via his corporate production company. FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe stated that the actors had submitted formal responses to the initial inquiries. In his formal communication submitted on August 21, Devgn maintained that his commercial involvement was restricted strictly to flavoured elaichi and did not constitute an endorsement of prohibited pan masala.
In 2024, Ajay Devgn endorsed the brand Vimal Elaichi, a cardamom-flavoured mouth freshener, before the Maharashtra FDA issued a show-cause notice on August 11, 2026 alleging promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, according to LiveLaw.
Regulatory Notices and Celebrity Endorsement Replies
The state authority invoked Section 24 of the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006, which prohibits deceptive or misleading commercial advertising concerning consumable food items. Food safety officials asserted that promotional campaigns for cardamom mouth fresheners indirectly promote the broader brand identity associated with chewable pan masala, which is prohibited in Maharashtra under an executive order dated July 13, 2026. The regulatory notices form part of an expanded enforcement campaign conducted across Maharashtra targeting food adulteration and prohibited tobacco-related items. The high court bench will review the legal validity of the regulatory notices and examine whether celebrity endorsers carry direct statutory liability under prevailing food safety statutes.
According to the notice, Devgn violated provisions across multiple statutory frameworks, including the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations of 2018, the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations of 2011, and the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations of 2011.