Patanjali Ayurveda faces ban on advertising medications with ‘misleading claims’, as Supreme Court criticizes the Central government for negligence and issues contempt notices to Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna for disregarding prior court directives and persisting with deceptive advertising practices.
A panel comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah remarked that the nation had been misled. Previously, the Supreme Court had warned of imposing a fine of ₹1 crore for every false claim made in advertisements.
The Supreme Court is currently addressing a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which accuses Ramdev of conducting a smear campaign against the vaccination campaign and contemporary medicines.
Expressing strong disapproval of Patanjali’s actions, Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah remarked, “You had the audacity to release this advertisement after the court’s order! And then you present this advertisement. What is meant by ‘permanent relief’? Is it a cure? We are going to issue a very, very stringent order.”
The Supreme Court imposed the ban while addressing the Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) petition, which accuses Ramdev, the founder of Patanjali, of orchestrating a smear campaign against the vaccination initiative and contemporary medicines.
On November 21 of the previous year, the company’s counsel had assured the apex court that there would be no further breaches of the law, especially regarding the promotion or branding of products. Additionally, no casual statements asserting the medicinal efficacy of Patanjali products or opposing any system of medicine would be disseminated to the media in any manner.