The Delhi High Court has issued notices to Baba Ramdev and Patanjali’s Divya Pharmacy in response to a petition alleging that their herbal tooth powder, Divya Dant Manjan, contains non-vegetarian ingredients despite being labelled as a vegetarian product. The court’s decision came on Friday following a plea filed by advocate Yatin Sharma.
The petition argues that the packaging of Divya Dant Manjan prominently features a green dot, a symbol typically used to denote vegetarian products. However, the ingredient list reportedly includes Sepia officinalis, commonly known as the common cuttlefish, which is non-vegetarian. The case is set for a further hearing on November 28.
The petition emphasized that Divya Dant Manjan, manufactured by Divya Pharmacy, is displayed and sold on Patanjali’s official website with the vegetarian symbol. The petitioner, who along with his family has been a long-term user of the product believing it to be a vegetarian, plant-based Ayurvedic product, was recently alarmed to discover that the product contains Samudraphen (Sepia officinalis), derived from cuttlefish bone. This discovery has caused distress, especially for the petitioner and their family, who belong to a Brahmin community that strictly adheres to vegetarianism based on religious beliefs.
The petition stated that realizing they had been unknowingly consuming a non-vegetarian ingredient for a prolonged period caused significant hurt and shock to the petitioner and their family. The plea calls for judicial intervention to address the allegedly misleading labelling and promotion of Divya Dant Manjan, which is claimed to contain non-vegetarian components.
Further, the petition notes that Baba Ramdev, in a YouTube video, allegedly admitted that “Samudra fen” used in the product is animal-based, despite the product being marketed with a green dot as a vegetarian item. The petitioner is seeking redress for the distress caused by the inadvertent consumption of a non-vegetarian product and stresses the importance of transparency and respect for religious beliefs.
The plea also questions the seriousness and effectiveness of the court’s order in addressing this issue, highlighting the need for urgent judicial intervention. The persistent disregard for accurate labelling, according to the petitioner, necessitates decisive action to ensure compliance with legal standards and uphold the integrity of consumer rights.
The court’s notice to Baba Ramdev and Patanjali underscores the importance of accurate labelling and consumer transparency, particularly for products that claim to adhere to specific dietary or religious requirements. The case’s outcome could set a significant precedent for the food and consumer goods industry in terms of labelling accuracy and ethical marketing practices.