Maharashtra FDA to Refer Vimal Ad Case Against 3 Actors

Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration has completed its investigation into advertisements featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff and plans to refer the matter for adjudication, Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said. The regulator alleges the Vimal Elaichi promotions amounted to surrogate advertising for prohibited pan masala, but no final adjudication has been reported. Mundhe said an assistant commissioner found the actors had violated state rules after they sought additional time to respond to notices and were given an opportunity to be heard. The case is proposed to go before the joint commissioner, the authority responsible for adjudication, by the following week. The process will examine the matter before any final determination. The FDA issued show-cause notices in August over the actors’ advertisements for Vimal Elaichi. The department alleged the promotions indirectly advertised Vimal Pan Masala, which is prohibited in Maharashtra. It asked the actors to explain their association with the campaigns and sought information about their due diligence before agreeing to endorse the product. The notices also called on them to take steps to discontinue the...