Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said on Tuesday that Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff have all responded to show-cause notices issued over a Vimal Elaichi advertisement.
Speaking at a press conference, Mundhe said that two of the three actors asked the FDA for a hearing, which was completed on Monday.
"Regarding those notices, responses from all three have come. Two of them had asked for a hearing. Their hearing was finished yesterday, and we are proceeding further," he said, without naming who those two were.
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Pressed further on who got the hearing, Mundhe said they were “those who wanted it”.
{{/usCountry}}Pressed further on who got the hearing, Mundhe said they were “those who wanted it”.
{{/usCountry}}This comes after Mundhe said earlier this month that one of the actors has not responded to the FDA show-cause notices issued to Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff over a Vimal Elaichi advertisement.
At that time, the commissioner called the actors “violators of the law”.
What Mundhe had said earlier
Speaking to NDTV earlier this month, Tukaram Mundhe said, “According to you, they may be stars, but according to me, they are only advertisers in this case. So I am looking at them as violators of the law, and the law will take its own course. That's why we have started taking action. We have taken this action as per the law.”
Mundhe said that one of the three actors had not responded to the notice, and the FDA has started adjudicating and prosecution proceedings against him.
When asked if Shah Rukh Khan has responded to the notice, he said, “I don't exactly remember... because that is with the assistant commissioner. Most likely, he has not responded, but I'm not too sure about it.” However, the commissioner said the two actors who have responded will have their replies heard.
Mundhe also disagreed with the argument that responsibility lies with the manufacturer and not the endorser. He pointed to advertising regulations under the Food Safety Act, saying there is a responsibility specifically placed on the person or institution advertising the product.
He insisted that advertisers have a responsibility to conduct due diligence about what they endorse. He shared that for them to say that it is not upon them is wrong, not only morally, but also legally.
More on FDA's notice to SRK, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff
The FDA issued the notices on August 11, alleging that the Vimal Elaichi advertisement featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff amounted to surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, a product prohibited in Maharashtra. The actors were given 15 days to respond.
The notice cited Section 24 of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, which restricts misleading advertisements, and Section 53, under which a person who publishes or is party to the publication of a misleading food advertisement can face a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh.