Patanjali Ayurved apologizes to SC for misleading advertisements
Acharya Balkrishna, managing director of Patanjali Ayurved and an associate of Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, has apologized to the Supreme Court for the company's misleading claims about its products and their medicinal efficacy. Balkrishna submitted an affidavit on Wednesday—a day after the court pulled up the company for failing to respond to a contempt notice in the misleading advertisements case. A two-judge bench had also summoned Ramdev and Balkrishna to appear before it on April 2.
Why does this story matter?
Earlier, the court had ordered Patanjali to immediately halt all electronic and print advertisements containing misleading information about its products. This came after the court's warning in November 2023 against making "false" and "misleading" claims in advertisements. Notably, on August 23, 2022, the SC issued notices to the Union health ministry and Ministry of Ayush and Patanjali Ayurved, on the plea of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) alleging a smear campaign by Ramdev against vaccination drives and modern medicine.
Balkrishna offers 'unqualified apology'
In his affidavit, Balkrishna offered an "unqualified apology" and pledged that such advertisements will not be circulated in the future. He also said that Patanjali's objective is to inspire citizens to adopt healthier lifestyles by using their products, which are supported by Ayurvedic research. He added that the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, which bans advertisements promoting magic cure claims, is "archaic." Balkrishna asserted that Patanjali now holds "evidence-based scientific data" from clinical research conducted in Ayurveda.
SC questions Patanjali's silence on 'violation of undertaking'
Last month, the apex court pulled up Patanjali for prima facie violation of the undertaking it had given in the court about its products and statements claiming their medicinal efficacy. The court had issued a notice to Patanjali and Balakrishna, asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them. But Patanjali did not file any response to the notice. "Why haven't you filed your response yet?" the top court said on Tuesday.
SC pulls up Centre for inaction on Patanjali's 'false advertisements'
On February 27, the SC came down heavily on the Centre for not taking any action against the "misleading and false" advertisements by Patanjali Ayurved. The court criticized the government, saying it was "sitting with its eye closed." The SC said that the entire country is being misled through such advertisements. "This is very unfortunate. The government will have to take some immediate action," the bench said.
IMA highlights disparaging statements in advertisements
To recall, the IMA had earlier 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.
