Mumbai: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has taken several bold moves in the first two weeks itself, invoking the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against those involved in illegal trade of prohibited nicotine products and cracking down on Patanjali for ‘misleading claims’.
Mundhe, an IAS officer of the 2005 batch, took charge of the Maharashtra FDA on 25 May.
Transferred for the 25th time in 21 years, the FDA commissioner has taken it upon himself to clean up the food and drug sector by launching a statewide crackdown against food and drug adulteration. With a motto of ‘Safe Food, Safe Drug, Safe Maharashtra,’ Mundhe has ordered raids on hundreds of establishments to keep a check on adulteration and other irregularities.
Adulterated milk and milk products such as paneer, artificially ripened mangoes, banned gutkha and tobacco products, mislabelled edible oil, unhygienic ice cream—nothing has escaped the sharp eyes of the officer known for his uprightness and meticulous working.
FMCG major Patanjali and other players found with alleged misleading advertisements are also facing the heat in Maharashtra.
Mumbai, Maharashtra: FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe says, "In Maharashtra, under Section 30 of the FSSAI Act, certain items such as gutka and pan masala are classified as prohibited products. This means that these food products cannot be manufactured, transported, stored, or… pic.twitter.com/veg9zICZZs
— IANS (@ians_india) June 12, 2026
Mundhe told ThePrint that his vision is to ensure the safety of 13 crore Maharashtrians by ensuring safe food and drugs.
“And we will ensure through the safe food, safe drugs, safe Maharashtra mission. The strategy will be by ‘E3’ , which means empower people, enable businesses and enforce laws. Genuine businesses have nothing to fear about, and illegal businesses/ institutions/individuals have nowhere to hide,” he told ThePrint.
In just a week of the IAS officer taking charge, the FDA department raided over 50 establishments and arrested nearly 100 people. Between 25 May and 11 June, 354 establishments were inspected for prohibited food items, resulting in the confiscation of items worth Rs 3.27 crore, Mundhe said.
So far, 235 FIRs have been registered and 350 people have been arrested. Additionally, 274 establishments have been sealed so far, according to the data provided by Mundhe.
To speed up the action, Mundhe said the FDA officials were instructed to work on both the verticals of the sector—food and drugs—simultaneously. The actions are not some random drive but a part of a structured plan and strategy, he added.
Known for his no-nonsense attitude, Mundhe has met with a lot of political resistance in his career as a civil servant. In his previous posting as secretary of the disability welfare department, he launched a crackdown against those holding bogus disability certificates. He was instrumental in introducing a one-stop digital platform to provide all services for beneficiaries.
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Spring in step
Earlier, FDA officials normally became active during festivals, when they would intensify checks to check food adulteration. But all that seemed to be changing, with officials working round-the-clock.
As Mundhe has given a go-ahead to invoke the MCOCA against tobacco, gutka, nicotine products’ manufacturers and distributors, FDA officials will now have to coordinate with the police to carry out searches.
The objective of invoking the MCOCA, he explained, was not to harass law-abiding traders, but to take strict, evidence-based legal action against those engaged in the organised illegal trade of prohibited substances. It is to protect people’s lives and playing with people’s lives will be treated as a serious offence henceforth, he added.
Soon after he took over the FDA, Mundhe had to deal with the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad hooch tragedy that claimed at least 18 lives. He immediately sealed the establishment linked to the deaths; the department went ahead to lodge FIRs.
The FDA department then seized nearly 6,000 kg of toxic methanol from a warehouse in Bhiwandi, Thane district that allegedly supplied the chemical to bootleggers involved in making spurious liquor. The warehouse was linked to Rex International in Bhiwandi.
According to a release issued by the FDA, the deadly country liquor had been spiked with industrial methanol sourced from Rex International.
Further, the department scanned 938 shops and establishments that were given liquor licenses. So far, it has scanned over 600 licenses and the remaining 300 would be done in a day or two, “to ensure no repeat of the Pune hooch tragedy,” an FDA official said.
As for his E3 strategy, Mundhe said that the first idea is to empower people, which means to make them aware of the regulations of food safety act and drug and cosmetics act. Secondly, to enable businesses by providing an environment to comply with the law. “Those who comply, we are their friends and they don’t have to fear.”
And thirdly, enforcement of law against those who don’t comply. “So they will have nowhere to hide.”
One of the big raids the FDA department did was on Patanjali. Simultaneous raids were conducted across Mumbai, Pune, Konkan, Nashik, Amravati, Nagpur, and Ch Sambhajinagar where medicines manufactured by Divya Pharmacy were confiscated. Its products including Drushti Eye Drop, Giloy Ghan Vati, Kutaj Ghan Vati, Cystogrit Diamond tablets, Neurogrit Gold capsules worth Rs 51 lakh were seized.
The raid on Patanjali was carried out for misleading ads that claim “magical” cure for certain diseases, officials said. Some of the abovementioned products were allegedly being marketed as “miraculous cure”, “guaranteed treatment” among others, which is not permitted under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954
Mundhe had publicly said that no one would be given any leeway or special treatment, if public health was at stake and compromised.
After the raids, Patanjali moved the Bombay High Court seeking relief and uniform policy on labelling on products. The company alleged that it is being targeted, a claim Mundhe refused.
On Wednesday, the Maharashtra government refused the charge of selective targeting and assured the court that for a time being it will not take any action against Divya Pharmacy or Patanjali.
ThePrint reached advocate Birendra Saraf, representing Divya Pharmacy in the Bombay High court, via phone calls and text message. ThePrint also reached out to Patanjali via email. This article will be updated once a response is received.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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