In a major embarrassment for Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, a Pithoragarh court has slapped a ₹1 lakh penalty on the company after a batch of its flagship cow ghee repeatedly failed quality parameters in government testing. The verdict, delivered on November 27 by the adjudicating officer and Additional District Magistrate, also imposed ₹25,000 fine on distributor Brahma Agencies and ₹15,000 on retailer Karan General Store, while issuing a stern warning for strict adherence to food safety norms.

The case dates back to October 20, 2020, when a food safety officer purchased a sealed pack of Patanjali cow ghee from Karan General Store in Kashani market, Pithoragarh, as part of routine surveillance. The sample, traceable through the purchase invoice to Brahma Agencies and ultimately to Patanjali’s manufacturing unit in Ahmadnagar, was first sent to the state public health laboratory in Rudrapur. In 2021, the laboratory declared the ghee substandard, prompting Patanjali to exercise its statutory right to challenge the result by requesting referral testing at a central laboratory.

The company promptly deposited ₹5,000 and the sample was forwarded to the National Food Laboratory in Ghaziabad the very next day. However, the central laboratory’s detailed report in November 2021 confirmed the state findings, concluding that the ghee did not conform to the prescribed standards under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, leaving Patanjali with no further scientific defence.

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Following the second adverse report, the Food Safety Department formally lodged the case in February 2022. After multiple hearings and submission of documents by all parties, the court finally pronounced its order last week, holding Patanjali primarily responsible for placing a substandard product in the market.

A senior Patanjali official has strongly rejected the court order as “completely defective and illegal,” announcing that the company will immediately approach the Food Safety Appellate Tribunal to overturn the penalty. The fresh conviction adds to a series of regulatory actions against Patanjali products in recent years, intensifying scrutiny on quality control processes at India’s largest ayurvedic brand.

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