Fish extract in Patanjali’s vegetarian toothpaste? Now Ramdev in trouble in HC

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has landed in a new legal trouble. A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court against his Patanjali Ayurveda, alleging that the brand’s herbal tooth powder ‘Divya Manjan’, contains non-vegetarian ingredients. The petitioner claims that ‘Divya Manjan’ has been used for a long time due to its promotion as a vegetarian and plant-based Ayurvedic product. However, recent research has shown that the product contains sea foam (Sepia officinalis) obtained from fish extracts. The petition filed by advocate Yatin Sharma alleges that the packaging of Patanjali’s Divya Manjan shows a green colour mark indicating vegetarian products. Yet the list of ingredients clearly shows that the tooth powder contains Sepia officinalis. The petitioner argues that this is misbranding and a violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Sharma said the discovery was particularly disturbing for him and his family as they abstain from consuming non-vegetarian ingredients due to religious beliefs. The petitioner also alleges that Ramdev himself had admitted in a YouTube video that sea foam is an animal-based product used in ‘Divya Manjan’. Despite filing a complaint with various government agencies, including the Delhi Police, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and Ministry of AYUSH, the petitioner says no action has been taken yet. The petition seeks judicial intervention to address the alleged mislabeling of the product and hold the respondents accountable. The petitioner is also seeking compensation for the suffering caused by inadvertent consumption of the non-vegetarian product. After hearing the petition, the Delhi High Court issued notice to Patanjali Ayurveda, Baba Ramdev, the Central Government and Patanjali’s Divya Pharmacy, which manufactures the product. The next hearing is scheduled for November 28. Patanjali and its co-founders Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna were earlier held guilty by the Supreme Court for indulging in deceptive advertising practices. The apex court had directed them to remove all misleading advertisements of their ayurvedic products and apologise to the public.