Patanjali Ayurved Limited, led by yoga guru Ramdev, is once again under legal scrutiny as the Delhi high court has demanded responses from the Centre, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and the company over a petition alleging misbranding of its "Divya Dant Manjan" dental care product.

The petitioner claims to have used ‘Divya Manjan’ for a long time due to its promotion as a vegetarian and plant-based ayurvedic product. However, recent research revealed that the product contains samudraphen (Sepia officinalis), derived from fish extract.

This, according to Sharma, constitutes "misbranding" under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Although the law does not mandate specific labelling for drugs as vegetarian or non-vegetarian, the use of the green dot qualifies as "misbranding" under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, the petitioner's counsel argued.

Justice Sanjeev Narula issued notice to the Centre, the FSSAI as well as Patanjali, Divya Pharmacy, Yoga guru Ramdev and other related parties on Sharma's petition.

The petitioner, represented by advocates Swapnil Chaudhary and Prashant Gupta, said the discovery was "distressing" for him and his family, particularly because they adhere to a strict vegetarian diet due to religious beliefs.

"Respondent No. 3 (Patanjali Ayurveda) is selling the same product with a green dot on their official website, indicating that the product is vegetarian in nature, which is contradictory.

"The Petitioner seeks redressal for the profound distress caused by the inadvertent consumption of a non-vegetarian product, emphasizing the importance of upholding religious beliefs and ensuring transparency in product representation," the petition, filed through lawyers Mohit Solanki and Pulkit Chaudhary, stated.

The matter would be heard next in November.