Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe announced on Thursday that the agency had issued show‑cause notices to actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff on August 11, accusing them of surrogately promoting the banned Vimal Elaichi brand. The notices gave the celebrities 15 days to respond.
The FDA said that two of the actors replied, insisting the responsibility lay with the manufacturer, while one—most likely Shah Rukh Khan—has not yet answered. Because of the silence, the FDA has moved to start adjudication and prosecution proceedings against the non‑responsive actor.
A September 14 ruling by the Delhi High Court dismissed a petition from PB Agro LLP, the master licensee for Vimal Elaichi, arguing that the court lacked territorial jurisdiction; the order confirmed the FDA in Mumbai as the proper forum for any challenge.
Mundhe clarified that the Food Safety Act and the 2018 Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations place the advertising duty squarely on the endorser, not merely on the manufacturer, and that the agency will hold a hearing to enforce this.
In a separate note, the FDA has requested the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority to investigate markups of 150–2,800% on hospital consumables, citing an example of intravenous sets procured for Rs 11 but listed at Rs 325, and warned that such practices require regulatory oversight.