The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on Patanjali Ayurved over 'misleading' advertisements and banned the company from advertising any product related to diseases or other medical conditions. The Supreme Court said the "entire country was being taken for a ride" through such misleading advertisements.
This ruling follows a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association against Patanjali Ayurved's alleged dissemination of misleading advertisements.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court has served a contempt of court notice to Patanjali Ayurved and Acharya Balakrishnan for their involvement in spreading misleading advertisements across various media platforms. They have been granted a three-week period to respond to the notice.
During the hearing, Justices Hima Kohli and A. Amanullah criticised Patanjali Ayurved for releasing advertisements despite previous court orders issued last year.
In November 2023 as well, the Supreme Court warned Patanjali that it would be fined Rs 1 crore if a false claim is made that its products can "cure" certain diseases.
While referring to their previous warning to Patanjali, the bench said, "Despite our warning you are saying your products are better than chemical-based medicines."
The bench decided to issue notices for contempt of court orders to the two people featured in the advertisements, Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishnan. Justice Amanullah said that these individuals must file a reply and explain how they disregarded the court's orders.
Sanghi, representing Patanji Ayurved, defended Baba Ramdev, stating that he is a 'sanyasi' who does not know English. However, Justice Amanullah deemed the document containing the advertisements as contemptuous and in clear violation of the court's orders.
Senior advocate PS Patwalia, representing the Indian Medical Association, highlighted a press conference held by Baba Ramdev following a previous Supreme Court order.
Patwalia said that Patanjali Ayurved had published advertisements in violation of the law, claiming to cure various ailments, including diabetes and asthma. Patwalia also mentioned a defamation case filed by Patanjali Ayurved against the Advertising Council.
On this, the top court remarked that there can’t be any defence of advertisements showing cures for illnesses including diabetes and blood pressure.
"What do you mean by permanent relief to the diseases? It means only two things - either death or cure," the Supreme Court said, asking Patanjali Ayurved to show how they discharged their duties to tackle misleading advertisements.
During the hearing, the bench questioned the actions taken by the Ministry of Ayush in response to the misleading advertisements.
The Additional Solicitor General (ASG) said that data was being collected on complaints and violations by Patanjali Ayurved. However, the bench expressed dissatisfaction with the ministry's response, urging urgent action and self-monitoring regarding such advertisements,
