New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has sought the Centre’s response to a petition alleging the misbranding of Patanjali’s “Divya Dant Manjan” as a vegetarian product. The petitioner’s counsel claimed that despite the product being sold with a green dot, which is typically a symbol of vegetarian products, it contains fish extract, a non-vegetarian ingredient.
Justice Sanjeev Narula issued notices to the Centre, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Patanjali, Divya Pharmacy, Yoga guru Ramdev, and other related parties on the petition filed by lawyer Yatin Sharma. The petitioner’s counsel argued that while the law does not mandate the declaration of a “drug” as vegetarian or non-vegetarian, the packaging of “Divya Dant Manjan” wrongly carries a green dot, which qualifies as “misbranding” under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
The petitioner, represented by advocates Swapnil Chaudhary and Prashant Gupta, stated that the product contains “samudraphen (sepia officinalis),” derived from fish extract. This discovery was reportedly distressing for the petitioner and his family, who follow vegetarian dietary practices due to religious beliefs and sentiments.
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The petitioner emphasized the need for authorities to take appropriate action against those responsible for the production and promotion of “Divya Dant Manjan” in its current form. They highlighted that Patanjali Ayurveda is selling the same product with a green dot on its official website, indicating its vegetarian nature, which is contradictory.
The petitioner sought redressal for the distress caused by inadvertently consuming a non-vegetarian product, stressing the importance of upholding religious beliefs and ensuring transparency in product representation.
The matter will be heard next in November.
