Should a food regulator’s notice land on the actor or on the maker? Ajay Devgn has taken that dispute to the Bombay High Court, challenging a Maharashtra FDA show-cause notice over his Vimal Elaichi advertisements, which the regulator alleges amount to surrogate promotion of a pan masala banned in the State.
Mumbai: A show-cause notice from the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over his appearance in advertisements for ‘Vimal Elaichi’ is now under challenge before the Bombay High Court by Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn [Ajay Devgan v. State of Maharashtra and Others].
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna is likely to hear the petition on November 4, 2026.
What the FDA alleges
Advertisements for ‘Vimal Elaichi’ amount to surrogate promotion of ‘Vimal Pan Masala’, a chewable product banned in Maharashtra, according to the regulatory notices issued by the Maharashtra FDA. Co-brand ambassadors Shah Rukh Khan and Tiger Shroff have been served with similar notices.
The earlier round in Delhi
PB Agro, the product’s manufacturer, had first approached the Delhi High Court to quash the notices. That plea was dismissed in September 2026. The Delhi High Court held that it lacked territorial jurisdiction, since the controversy concerned action taken by the FDA in Mumbai over alleged activities in Maharashtra, and that the courts in Maharashtra were the appropriate forum.
Devgn’s petition
Devgn’s petition challenges the constitutionality of the relevant provisions of the FDA regulations. He has contended that the notice was arbitrarily served directly on him as an actor rather than on the company that manufactures the product.
The DSK Legal team, led by partners Parag Khandhar and Chandrima Mitra, represents him in the Bombay High Court.
What the petition could decide
How far a food safety regulator can go in proceeding against celebrity endorsers, rather than manufacturers, over alleged surrogate advertising of a product banned in the State is the question the petition raises. Its outcome could shape the exposure of brand ambassadors who appear in advertisements for permitted products that share a brand name with banned ones.
The High Court is yet to examine the FDA’s allegations and Devgn’s challenge, and it has not expressed any view on the merits.
Case Title: Ajay Devgan v. State of Maharashtra and Others
Bench: Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna, Bombay High Court (listing likely on November 4, 2026)
Appearances: DSK Legal, led by partners Parag Khandhar and Chandrima Mitra, for the petitioner