A local court in Uttarakhand has imposed a fine of Rs 1.40 lakh on Patanjali Ghee and associated parties after a product sample failed to meet prescribed quality standards. The case stems from an inspection carried out in October 2020, when food safety officials collected a sample from a store in Kasni in Pithoragarh district.
The sample underwent testing at the Rudrapur food laboratory before being forwarded in 2021 to the FSSAI facility in Ghaziabad for further analysis. Both laboratories reported that the product did not satisfy required quality parameters, prompting authorities to initiate legal proceedings. After reviewing the evidence, the court ordered the penalty against Patanjali.
In response, Patanjali Ayurved has issued a statement challenging the basis of the ruling. The company contends that the referral laboratory lacked NABL accreditation for testing cow ghee, making the findings inadmissible. It argues that the parameters applied during testing were not in force at the time and that the retest occurred after the sample’s expiry date, which the firm says renders the results invalid under existing rules.
Patanjali added that it is preparing to appeal the order before the Food Safety Tribunal, noting that the decision does not describe its cow ghee as unsafe for consumers.