Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has said that actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff are “violators of the law” over their appearance in a Vimal Elaichi advertisement. In an interview with NDTV on September 17, 2026, Mundhe confirmed that two of the three actors have responded to the show-cause notices issued in August 2026, while one has not. The FDA has started adjudication and prosecution proceedings against the actor who did not reply. The regulator views the advertisement as surrogate promotion of Vimal Pan Masala, a product banned in Maharashtra.
What Tukaram Mundhe Said About the Three Actors
Mundhe made his position clear when speaking to NDTV, stating that celebrity status does not change how the law applies to them.
“According to you they may be stars, but according to me they are only advertisers in this case. So I am looking at them as violators of the law, and the law will take its own course. That’s why we have started taking action.”
The FDA chief also said that two of the three actors responded to the notices within the given time frame, while one did not. He did not name which actor failed to reply, but when asked specifically about Shah Rukh Khan, Mundhe said, “Most likely he has not responded, but I’m not too sure about it”.
Mundhe also explained that the two actors who did respond argued that the responsibility should lie with the manufacturer. He rejected this argument, pointing to advertising regulations under the Food Safety Act.
“There is a responsibility cast upon the person who is advertising it, including to take due diligence about what he or she is endorsing. To say that it is not upon them is wrong… Not only morally, but legally I’m talking about, because I am here as a regulator.”
FDA Notices and What They Said
The Maharashtra FDA issued show-cause notices to the three actors on August 11, 2026, giving them 15 days to submit a written explanation. The notices were served at different locations. Ajay Devgn received his notice at his residence in Juhu, Shah Rukh Khan was served at Mannat in Bandra, and Tiger Shroff received his notice through his production company, Tiger Shroff Productions LLP.
The notice stated that the advertisement, upon examination, appeared to promote the Vimal brand, which is mainly associated with Pan Masala, a product prohibited for manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, and sale in Maharashtra. The prohibition order was issued by the Commissioner of Food Safety, Maharashtra State, on July 13, 2026, under Section 30(2)(a) of the FSS Act, 2006.
The FDA’s Greater Mumbai division alleged that the campaign amounted to indirect or surrogate promotion of prohibited pan masala and tobacco-related products. The use of the expression “Vimal Elaichi” in the advertisement appeared to create an association with the “Vimal Pan Masala” brand and could mislead consumers while indirectly promoting the prohibited product.
How Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Tiger Shroff Responded
Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff submitted their responses to the Maharashtra FDA in early September 2026, according to reports. Shah Rukh Khan’s response was still awaited at that time. The two actors who replied argued that the responsibility rested with the manufacturer, a position Mundhe has publicly disagreed with.
Mundhe said the FDA will give a hearing to the two actors who responded. “We are giving them a hearing. My officer, the assistant commissioner who issued the notices, will be giving the hearing,” he said.
In an earlier interview with PTI, Mundhe had said that the regulations apply to everyone involved in creating, publishing, or sponsoring advertisements and claims. “Everybody across the chain is responsible. It applies to all… Nobody is going to be spared, whether rural or urban. Those who sell, those who possess, those who process, those who manufacture, it is applicable to all,” he stated.
Delhi High Court Dismisses Vimal Maker’s Plea
The legal dispute reached the Delhi High Court when PB Agro LLP, the master licensee for Vimal Elaichi, filed a petition seeking to quash the show-cause notices issued to the three actors. On September 14, 2026, the Delhi High Court dismissed the petition, holding that the court lacked territorial jurisdiction because the notices were issued by the FDA in Mumbai.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma ruled that courts in Maharashtra were the more appropriate forum for the challenge. The petition was dismissed on the ground of jurisdiction, without expressing any opinion on the merits of the challenge. PB Agro LLP had argued that the August 11 FDA notice was sent only to the actors and not to the company itself, despite the company being the one that would suffer irreparably from any regulatory action. The company also claimed that the Maharashtra FDA lacked jurisdiction to issue directions to halt the advertisement.
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What the Law Says About Celebrity Endorsements
Mundhe has repeatedly stressed that the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, place a clear legal duty on advertisers. The regulations came into force on July 1, 2019, and prohibit any representation, whether physical, electronic, through social media, or other media, that states, implies, or suggests a claim that is not true.
The actors could face penalties of up to Rs 10 lakh under Section 53 of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006, for their involvement in publishing misleading advertisements. The FDA is also exploring the use of provisions under the organised crime law in such cases, as part of a broader crackdown on prohibited tobacco products in the state.
Who Is Tukaram Mundhe
Tukaram Mundhe is a 2005-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre who took charge as Commissioner of Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration in May 2026. Born on June 3, 1975, in Tadsonna village in Maharashtra’s Beed district, Mundhe was raised in a farming family and grew up amid financial hardship. He completed his schooling at a Zilla Parishad school before earning a bachelor’s degree in History and a master’s degree in Political Science.
His career has been marked by frequent transfers—reportedly 25 transfers in just over two decades of service. Admirers view the repeated postings as a consequence of his insistence on strict enforcement of rules, while detractors contend that his uncompromising approach has often brought him into conflict with political and administrative establishments.
Since taking charge, Mundhe’s FDA has intensified action against adulteration, banned tobacco products, and regulatory violations across Maharashtra. The department has carried out 904 raids, seized banned gutkha and pan masala worth more than Rs 34.66 crore, and arrested 457 people. The agency has expanded its focus beyond tobacco products to include milk adulteration, food safety violations, and misleading advertisements.
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