Vimal Elaichi row: Delhi High Court dismisses plea against notice to actors over surrogate advertisements

Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff was sent a show-cause notice by FDA, Maharashtra (Screenshot: YouTube/VimalElaichi)

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea challenging the show-cause notice to Vimal Elaichi’s brand ambassadors — actors Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Tiger Shroff — who have been accused of ‘surrogate advertising’ for pan masala by the Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma dismissed the plea on grounds of territorial jurisdiction, noting that “courts in Maharashtra are the more appropriate and convenient forum” for such a challenge.

In its plea, PB Agro LLP, which is the master licensee for manufacture and sale of elaichi and pan masala not containing tobacco under the Vimal brand, contended that the food and drug administrators operate under the Union Health Ministry’s jurisdiction, which in turn is based in New Delhi.

However, Justice Sharma held that merely because PB Agro LLP is operating its business from Delhi or engaging brand ambassadors from Delhi, the same “cannot by themselves confer territorial jurisdiction” on Delhi HC for adjudication.

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Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More