Three individuals, including a Patanjali official, arrested after their ‘Soan Papdi’ product failed a quality inspection. The food item did not meet the necessary safety standards, prompting legal action. Authorities are investigating the extent of the violations. This incident raises concerns over food safety and regulatory compliance in the industry.
Uttarakhand: A Patanjali official and two others sentenced to six months in jail by a court in Uttarakhand. The conviction comes after samples taken from the Patanjali Navratna Elaichi Soan Papdi, a traditional sweet, failed a quality test.
The District Food Safety Officer of Pithoragarh collected the samples from a shop in Berinag Market in September 2019 following concerns raised about the product.
Read Also: Patanjali Row | SC Orders Removal of Patanjali Ads, Suspends Sales of Restricted Products
Under Section 59 of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Pithoragarh, Sanjay Singh, handed down the sentence to Abhishek Kumar, Assistant General Manager of Patanjali Food and Herbal Park, Laksar, Ajay Joshi, Assistant Manager of Kanha Ji Distributor Private Limited Ramnagar and shopkeeper Leeladhar Pathak.
In addition to the jail term, fines were imposed on the individuals and the company. Patanjali Ayurveda Limited and Ajay Joshi fined Rs 10,000 each, while Abhishek Kumar and Pathak were ordered to pay Rs 25,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively.
On September 17, 2019, the samples collected from Leeladhar Pathak‘s shop sent to a testing laboratory in Rudrapur, where the results indicated that the product’s quality, below the standard requirements. As a result, the District Food Safety Officer filed cases against three individuals involved.
According to the Chief Judicial Magistrate court, if the three accused fail to serve their sentences, they may face additional imprisonment ranging from 7 days to 6 months, depending on the individual.
This development arises while Patanjali entangled in a legal case regarding misleading advertisements.
In the related case, the Supreme Court reserved its order on contempt notices that were issued to yoga guru Baba Ramdev and others. Additionally, the court granted exemptions to Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, the managing director of Patanjali Ayurved, from physically attending court hearings.