Three individuals, one of whom was the assistant manager of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, were fined and given a six-month prison sentence by the chief judicial magistrate in Pithoragarh. This followed a failed quality test of Patanjali’s food product at a testing laboratory in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand. A food safety inspector had raised issues about Patanjali Navratna Elaichi Soan Papdi, which was being sold at Lila Dhar Pathak’s shop in the main market of Berinag, Pithoragarh, in 2019.
Following the incident, samples of the sweet were collected, and notices were issued to Kanaha Ji Distributor, Ramnagar, and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, Haridwar. In December 2020, the testing laboratory in Rudrapur notified the state food safety department about the substandard quality of the sweet. Cases were also filed against businessman Lila Dhar Pathak, distributor Ajay Joshi, and Patanjali assistant manager Abhishek Kumar in connection with the incident. The three individuals were fined ₹5,000, ₹10,000, and ₹25,000 respectively, and sentenced to six months in prison.
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In a recent development, the Supreme Court questioned Patanjali Ayurved Ltd about whether it had stopped the sale of 14 products whose manufacturing licenses were suspended by the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority the previous month. Senior advocate Balbir Singh, representing Patanjali, informed the apex court that they had indeed halted the sale of these products.
The Supreme Court noted that the counsel representing Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, Balkrishna and Ramdev, requested time to file affidavits detailing the steps taken to recall the advertisements of products whose licenses were suspended.
The bench stated that the affidavit should be filed within three weeks, and all necessary actions should be completed within the same period. Additionally, the bench reserved orders on the contempt notice issued to respondents five to seven, namely Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, Balkrishna, and Ramdev.
It was stated that Ramdev and Balkrishna would not be required to appear in court until specific orders were issued.
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