NEW DELHI: A court has issued summons to Patanjali chairman Balkrishna and six others after the company’s pasteurised cow milk failed to clear a food safety test conducted by the Department of Food Safety, Delhi Government.
According to the test report, the sample is misbranded as there is a violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and other food safety laws. According to the latest order, Balakrishna will now have to appear before the court on October 29.
“Labelling (of the pasteurized cow milk) claims ‘Sharir ko bal dene wala, budhi ke liye hitkari, thakawat ko hatane wala, makes bones stronger and strengthens teeth’ are medicinal or therapeutic claims, which are not permitted as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,” the report said.
The other nine accused are Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd supplier company, Patanjali Ayurveda Limited Marketing company, Lakhan Basista, Vikas Bajaj, Harbaldip Singh Hansra, Swami Mukta Nand, Abhishek Kumar Singh, Dhan Singh Verma, and Solitare Foods Private Limited.
Meanwhile, Basista and Hansra got bail after furnishing a bail bond of Rs 15,000. In May 2019, the officials conducted a test on the pasteurized cow milk of the company and filed a complaint in court. The complainants said that such a claim amounted to the violation of several provisions — Sections 26, 31, 52, and 63 — of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The court later took cognizance of the matter and issued summons to Balkrishna. However, due to the Covid lockdown in 2020, the matter was adjourned. In March, the court again summoned Balakrishna. “On the basis of the complaint and other documents, prima facie, there is sufficient material to proceed against the accused,” said the court order.