HC seeks Centre's stand on plea over "misbranding" of Patanjali product
New Delhi, Aug 30: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the Centre's stand on a petition seeking action against the alleged misbranding of Patanjali's "Divya Dant Manjan" as a vegetarian product.
The petitioner's counsel claimed that though the dental care product was being sold with a "green dot", symbolising that it was a vegetarian commodity, it contains fish extract, a non-vegetarian ingredient.
Justice Sanjeev Narula issued notice to the Centre, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as well as Patanjali, Divya Pharmacy, Yoga guru Ramdev and other related parties on the petition by lawyer Yatin Sharma.
The law does not mandate declaration of a "drug" as vegetarian or non-vegetarian but the packaging of "Divya Dant Manjan" wrongly carries a "green dot", which qualifies as "misbranding" under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, the petitioner's counsel argued.
The matter would be heard next in November.
Represented by advocates Swapnil Chaudhary and Prashant Gupta, the petitioner stated that the product contains “samudraphen (sepia officinalis)”, which is derived from fish extract.
The petitioner claimed that this discovery was "distressing" for him and his family which consumes only vegetarian ingredients/products on account of religious beliefs and sentiments.
The petitioner asserted there was a need to address the lapse on the part of the authorities in taking appropriate action against those responsible for the production and promotion of "Divya Dant Manjan" in its present form.
"Respondent No. 3 (Patanjali Ayurveda) is selling the same product with a green dot on their official website, indicating that the product is vegetarian in nature, which is contradictory.
"The Petitioner seeks redressal for the profound distress caused by the inadvertent consumption of a non-vegetarian product, emphasizing the importance of upholding religious beliefs and ensuring transparency in product representation," the petition, filed through lawyers Mohit Solanki and Pulkit Chaudhary, stated.
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MBBS course in Chhattisgarh to be offered in Hindi: CM Vishnu Deo Sai
Raipur, Sep 14: The MBBS course in Chhattisgarh will be offered in Hindi from the ongoing academic session, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters at his residence on the occasion of 'Hindi Diwas', Sai said his government was happy to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to impart medical education in Hindi which he had expressed during a rally in Uttar Pradesh in 2022.
"Our government has taken a big decision on Hindi Diwas. The MBBS course will now also be taught in Hindi. Books in Hindi will be introduced in the first year from this session (2024-25). The health department has been asked to arrange books and study materials," he said.
The move was part of efforts to "change our education policy at every level from the old Macaulay imperialist education policy", he said, adding the National Education Policy had been fully implemented in Chhattisgarh.
"The move will benefit students from rural areas since they mostly come from Hindi medium schools and face difficulty in medical courses despite being talented due to the use of English language. Studying in Hindi will strengthen their basics, help them develop a deep understanding of the subject and make them good doctors," Sai asserted.
Hindi Diwas commemorates the historic decision taken by the Constituent Assembly on September 14, 1949 to designate Hindi, written in the Devanagari script, as the official language of the Union of India.
