Newz Desk, Durgapur: Patanjali Ayurved Limited has come under scrutiny once again, this time over allegations of selling substandard cow ghee. An Uttarakhand court has imposed a total fine of ₹1.4 lakh on the company, its distributor, and a retailer after the product failed multiple quality tests conducted by state and central laboratories.
According to officials, the case dates back to October 2020, when samples of Patanjali’s cow ghee were collected for quality assessment. The samples were first sent to the State Food Laboratory in Rudrapur, where the product reportedly failed to meet the prescribed quality standards. Following this, traders requested a second test at a central government laboratory in Ghaziabad, where the ghee again failed.
Uttarakhand Court Fines Patanjali for Selling Substandard Ghee
Based on the findings, ADM (Pithoragarh) Yogendra Singh last Thursday imposed penalties on the parties involved —
- ₹1,00,000 on Patanjali Ayurved Ltd.,
- ₹25,000 on a local distributor, and
- ₹15,000 on a retailer.
Patanjali Denies Allegations, Questions Testing Process
Reacting to the order, Patanjali Ayurved issued a statement claiming that the company learned about the matter through the media. It asserted that the laboratory where the sample was tested did not have NABL accreditation, and alleged that the sample collection process itself was flawed. The company further stated that the ghee was re-tested after the product’s expiry date, which it described as “completely illegal.”
The controversy has once again raised questions about the quality checks and regulatory oversight of widely consumed FMCG products. Patanjali, one of India’s largest Ayurvedic product manufacturers, has faced similar accusations in the past, though it has consistently denied wrongdoing.
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