Actor and former politician Paresh Rawal on Sunday appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to ensure that IAS officer and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe is not transferred from his current department.
Taking to his official social media handle on X, Rawal stated that it should be the "priority and Dharm" of the Chief Minister to protect Mundhe and ensure that he is allowed to continue in his department.
To put it with humility and respect that it should the priority and Dharm of Honourable CM @Dev_Fadnavis ji to protect Shri @Tukaram_IndIAS that he should not be xfered or shunted out of his department.
— Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) August 9, 2026
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The appeal amounts to public support for Mundhe at a time when the IAS officer has become highly visible because of his aggressive enforcement campaign as the Maharashtra FDA Commissioner.
Mundhe assumed charge as Commissioner of Maharashtra's FDA in May 2026. The FDA is responsible for regulating the safety and quality of food, medicines, cosmetics and medical devices in Maharashtra.
Since taking charge, Mundhe has overseen an intensified enforcement campaign targeting food adulteration, unsafe establishments, illegal products and violations across the food supply chain.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the FDA had carried out 1,131 inspections across Maharashtra since Mundhe took charge on May 25, with food stock worth Rs 49.57 crore seized, including about 1.6 lakh litres of adulterated milk.
The same report also stated that the FDA had suspended the licenses of 56 restaurants, including well known establishments facing regulatory action.
An IANS report stated that Mundhe's FDA conducted 195 raids in five days during an early June statewide crackdown, resulting in 192 arrests and the seizure of banned gutkha and pan masala worth approximately Rs 1.99 crore.
Mundhe's tenure has also been marked by measures targeting food safety violations around educational institutions. An FDA directive restricted the sale, advertising and free distribution of high fat, sugar and salt foods inside schools and within a 50 metre radius.
The IAS officer's record of frequent transfers has also made him a prominent figure in Maharashtra's administrative and political discourse.
Rawal's latest post adds a prominent public voice to a debate that has already attracted political attention because of Mundhe's enforcement campaign and history of frequent transfers.
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