Patanjali ads case: You can't degrade allopathy, SC tells Ramdev
Yoga guru and co-founder of Patanjali Ayurved Baba Ramdev on Tuesday once again issued an apology to the Supreme Court in connection with the misleading advertisements case. He assured the court that such accidents would not happen in the future. During the proceedings, Ramdev and Patanjali's Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna acknowledged their guilt in violating the court order. They requested the court to allow them to make amends by voluntarily taking certain measures—including issuing a public apology for their actions.
Why does this story matter?
On February 27, the SC directed Patanjali Ayurved to immediately halt all electronic and print advertisements containing "misleading information" about its products. It also came down heavily on the Centre for not taking any action against the false advertisements by the company. This came after the court's warning to Patanjali in November 2023—while hearing a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA)—against making "misleading" claims in advertisements.
You can't degrade allopathy: SC tells Patanjali
During the hearing, the SC strongly criticized Patanjali. It said, "You are doing good work but you can't degrade allopathy." "You are not so innocent that you did not know what we said...[earlier]." The court granted Ramdev, Balkrishna, and Patanjali, a one-week period to issue a public statement in the case. "We are not saying at this stage we are letting them off the hook," the SC told Ramdev's counsel. The next hearing is on April 23.
Court rejected Patanjali's apology in misleading ads case
Last week, the apex court said it did not accept the apology tendered by Ramdev and Balkrishna in the misleading advertisements case. The apologies were issued in response to earlier notices asking the two to show cause as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for allegedly flouting its directions. The court also pulled up the Uttarakhand licensing authority for not acting against Patanjali for so long.
IMA highlights disparaging statements in advertisements
To recall, the IMA in its petition had highlighted several ads that allegedly depicted allopathy and doctors negatively. The IMA argued that the "disparaging" statements were made by firms producing ayurvedic medicines, intending to mislead the public. The counsel for the IMA pointed out that these advertisements implied that medical practitioners themselves were dying despite taking modern medicines. The top court had previously asked the counsel representing the Centre to find a solution for misleading medical advertisements.
