- Pithoragarh court fined Patanjali Ayurved Rs 1 lakh for selling substandard cow ghee
- Distributor Brahma Agencies and retailer Karan General Store also fined Rs 25,000 and Rs 15,000
- Case began in 2020 after food security officer collected a ghee sample from Kashani store
A court in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, has imposed a monetary penalty on Patanjali Ayurved Ltd and two other parties after a batch of its cow ghee was found to be substandard during official testing. The action follows a case that began in 2020 when a sample was collected for routine inspection. According to a report by The Times of India, Patanjali has disputed the court's findings and plans to file an appeal, keeping the matter active within the food safety regulatory framework.
Pithoragarh Court Imposes Penalty
The adjudicating officer/ADM court in Pithoragarh has fined Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, Ahmadnagar, Rs 1 lakh for allegedly selling substandard cow ghee. Alongside this, distributor Brahma Agencies has been fined Rs 25,000, and retailer Karan General Store Rs 15,000.
The case began on 20 October 2020, when a food security officer collected a ghee sample from a store in Kashani, Pithoragarh. The purchase bill linked the product to Brahma Agencies, Dharchula Road, and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, Ahmadnagar.
Testing Found The Ghee Substandard
The sample was first sent to the state food and drug testing laboratory in Rudrapur, where it was found to be substandard, according to RK Sharma, assistant commissioner of the Food Security and Drug Administration, as reported by The Times of India.
Patanjali was informed of these findings in 2021. In response, the company requested testing by a central laboratory and deposited Rs 5,000 for the procedure. The sample was forwarded to the central food testing agency in Ghaziabad the following day. The agency's November 2021 report also concluded that the cow ghee did not meet quality standards.
Case Filed Under The Food Safety Act
After reviewing the reports, the department filed a case in February 2022 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. A notice was issued to Patanjali, and the matter proceeded to hearings. On Thursday, November 27, the court ordered the fines and directed strict compliance with food safety standards.
A Patanjali official has rejected the findings of the court order, calling it "defective and illegal". The company has stated that an appeal is being filed before the food safety tribunal.
