Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s brand ‘Patanjali Ayurved’ which sells over a hundred products ranging from toothpaste to ghee and Chayawanpraash to body lotion, has been fined Rs 11 lakh by an Indian court for misleading advertisements, NDTV reported.
A case had been filed in Uttarakhand against the company in 2012 by the District Food Safety Department after Patanjali Ayurved’s products had failed quality tests at a laboratory.
The department had tested Patanjali Ayurved’s mustard oil, salt, pineapple jam, besan and honey and it was found that these products violated food security norms and section of Food Safety and Standard (packaging and labelling) regulation.
Earlier this year, India’s advertising watchdog Advertising Standards Council of India had warned Patanjali for running several ‘misleading’ ad campaigns.
‘Patanjali Ayurved’ sells over a hundred products ranging from toothpaste to ghee and Chayawanpraash to body lotion through its online portal. Source: Patanjali
The Consumer Complaints Council or CCC had found that Patanjali's claim for its 'Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil' that rival makers are selling mustard oil "adulterated with oil made by solvent extraction process with neurotoxin containing Hexane", was not substantiated.
They were also warned about their advertisements of fruit juice, cattle feed, hair oil and washing powder brands among others where they have made several unverified and unsubstantiated claims.
Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved has been given one month to pay the fine.
