A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court against Patanjali Ayurved, accusing the company of mislabeling its herbal tooth powder, ‘Divya Manjan,’ which is marketed as vegetarian but allegedly contains non-vegetarian ingredients. The petitioner, represented by advocate Yatin Sharma, claims that the product, promoted as a plant-based ayurvedic remedy, contains samudraphen (Sepia officinalis), a substance derived from fish extract.

Sharma argues that the product’s packaging features a green dot, symbolizing vegetarian content, yet the ingredient list reveals the presence of animal-derived substances. He contends that this constitutes misbranding and violates the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. The petitioner further states that this discovery has caused distress for him and his family, whose religious beliefs prohibit the consumption of non-vegetarian ingredients.

Sharma also pointed to a YouTube video where Baba Ramdev, Patanjali’s co-founder, allegedly admits that samudraphen is used in ‘Divya Manjan’ and is an animal-based product. Despite filing complaints with several government bodies, including the Delhi Police and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the petitioner claims no action has been taken so far.

The plea seeks judicial intervention to address the alleged mislabelling and demands compensation for the distress caused by the inadvertent consumption of a non-vegetarian product. Following the filing, the Delhi High Court issued notices to Patanjali Ayurved, Baba Ramdev, the Central government, and Patanjali's Divya Pharmacy. A hearing is scheduled for November 28.

Patanjali and its co-founders Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna have previously faced legal challenges for deceptive advertising practices, with the Supreme Court directing them to remove misleading ads and issue public apologies for their ayurvedic products.