Vimal cardamom manufacturing company PB Agro has reached Delhi High Court in defense of its brand ambassadors Shahrukh Khan, Ajay Devgan and Tiger Shroff. FDA i.e. Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration had issued notice to these three actors alleging that they are making misleading propaganda in the advertisement. The company has approached the court to get this notice cancelled. At present, the court of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma has reserved its decision to decide whether the case can be heard in the Delhi High Court or not. Company’s side: Fully follows the advertising laws. The company says that they sign big actors to promote their cardamom products. The company claims that their advertisement completely follows all the rules and laws of the country. Company’s argument: Notice sent to actors, we did not get a chance to be heard. The company’s lawyer says that the notice issued on August 11, 2026 was sent only to the actors, not to the company. The company will suffer real loss if the advertising is stopped, yet it was not given a chance to present its side. The company claimed that Maharashtra FDA does not have the legal authority to ban advertising. Evidence was sought from all three actors. FDA had sought evidence from Ajay Devgan, Shahrukh Khan and Tiger Shroff that the advertisement of Vimal Cardamom which they have done is a completely different product. Along with this, he was also asked to prove that this advertisement is not a surrogate advertisement made for the promotion of banned Vimal Pan Masala and other tobacco products. Vimal Pan Masala Company, which is not being manufactured in Maharashtra since 2001, has termed all the allegations of surrogate advertising as baseless in its petition. The company argues that Vimal Pan Masala is not being manufactured or sold in Maharashtra since 2001. Apart from this, the Supreme Court has banned pan masala containing tobacco across the country since 2013. Government’s objection: Should have gone to Bombay High Court, not Delhi. Lawyers of the Central Government and Consumer Forum (CCPA) raised questions on the right of the petition. He said that since the notice has been given by the Maharashtra Government department, the company should have gone to the Bombay High Court instead of the Delhi High Court. Knowledge Box: What is ‘Surrogate Advertising’? When banned items like tobacco or alcohol cannot be directly advertised, companies promote legal items like cardamom or soda under the same name. This is called misleading advertisement – that is, actually promoting pan masala under the pretext of cardamom.
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Company reaches Delhi HC in Vimal cardamom advertisement controversy: Demand to cancel the notices received by Shahrukh, Ajay and Tiger; FDA had demanded a ban
