Delhi HC rejects Vimal Elaichi's plea over Maharashtra FDA notices to SRK, Ajay Devgn, Tiger Shroff

The Delhi High Court on Monday rejected a writ filed by PB Agro LLP, the maker of the mouth‑freshener brand Vimal Elaichi, which sought relief from notices issued by Maharashtra’s Food and Drugs Administration to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff. The notices alleged that the celebrities were promoting the product as a surrogate for pan‑masala, a category prohibited from advertising in the state.

The court observed that the show‑cause notice dated August 11 was issued by the Maharashtra FDA’s assistant commissioner in Mumbai and addressed to the brand ambassadors, who reside in that city. PB Agro, which operates from Delhi, could not demonstrate that any substantive cause of action arose within the Delhi jurisdiction, nor did it claim any specific relief against the Ministry or the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) that it had also impleaded. Consequently, the petition was dismissed for lack of territorial jurisdiction.

Vimal Elaichi, marketed as a cardamom‑flavoured mouth freshener, has faced scrutiny because the company also manufactures pan‑masala under the same brand, a product banned from promotion in Maharashtra. The case highlights the challenges advertisers face when celebrity endorsements intersect with state‑level bans on surrogate advertising, and it underscores the jurisdictional limits of courts when regulatory notices are issued by state authorities.