Pithoragarh, Nov. 29 -- The additional district magistrate (ADM) court in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district has imposed a penalty of Rs.1 lakh on Patanjali Ayurved Limited after samples of ghee manufactured by the company failed quality tests in both state and central laboratories. The ADM court also imposed fines of Rs.25,000 on its distributor and Rs.15,000 on a retailer and warned Patanjali to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, in the future. The matter dates back to 2020 when the then senior food safety officer inspected a shop in Pithoragarh. In June 2021, the ghee sample was declared "substandard." Patanjali, then sought a retest at a Ghaziabad laboratory. The results from the national laboratory also found sample to be substandard. Patanjali spokesperson SK Tijariwala said an appeal is being filed before Food Safety Tribunal against the order. "The referral laboratory was not accredited by NABL for testing cow ghee, therefore the test is not valid... The re-test was conducted after the expiry date of sample." bd kasniyal...