The Supreme Court has reserved its decision on contempt notices issued to Baba Ramdev and others...
Digital Desk: A court in Uttarakhand has sentenced a Patanjali official and two others to six months in jail following the failure of Patanjali Navratna Elaichi Soan Papdi (a traditional sweet) to pass a quality test. The District Food Safety Officer of Pithoragarh collected the samples from a shop in Berinag Market in September 2019 after concerns were raised about the product's quality.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Sanjay Singh of Pithoragarh sentenced Abhishek Kumar, Assistant General Manager of Patanjali Food and Herbal Park, Laksar; Ajay Joshi, Assistant Manager of Kanha Ji Distributor Private Limited Ramnagar; and shopkeeper Leeladhar Pathak to six months imprisonment under Section 59 of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. In addition to the jail terms, fines were imposed: Patanjali Ayurveda Limited and Ajay Joshi were fined Rs 10,000 each, Abhishek Kumar Rs 25,000, and Pathak Rs 5,000.
The samples taken from Leeladhar Pathak's shop on September 17, 2019, were sent to a testing lab in Rudrapur, where the tests confirmed the substandard quality of the product. Consequently, the District Food Safety Officer filed cases against the three men.
The court specified that if the accused fail to serve their sentences, they will face additional imprisonment ranging from 7 days to 6 months, respectively.
This ruling comes amid ongoing legal challenges for Patanjali, including a misleading advertisements case involving its high-profile figure, Baba Ramdev. The Supreme Court has reserved its decision on contempt notices issued to Baba Ramdev and others and has exempted both Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved's managing director Acharya Balkrishna from mandatory court appearances.
