New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday imposed a temporary ban on Patanjali Ayurved from advertising or branding certain products claiming to cure diseases or disorders specified under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.
Exclaiming that “the entire country has been taken for a ride”, a bench comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah came down heavily on Patanjali for misleading advertisements. It noted that the company had continued to make such ads despite an assurance to the Supreme Court in November last year that it would no longer do so.
Observing that by continuing with its tactics, Patanjali had prima facie violated the undertaking made before the court in November, the SC has now issued notice to Patanjali Ayurved and its managing director, Acharya Balkrishna, to show cause why action should not be taken against them for contempt of court.
The court was hearing a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which has accused Patanjali of defaming and carrying out a smear campaign against evidence-based medicine. The petition raised objections over “continuous, systematic, and unabated spread of misinformation” regarding allopathy and the modern systems of medicine.
During the hearing Tuesday, the court also asked the central government to file an affidavit on the steps it has taken against Patanjali under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. In the court, the central government’s officer said that states have to take action under the law against such advertisements.
The matter will be taken up again after two weeks.
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‘How can you claim permanent relief?’
Hearing the petition in November last year, Justice Amanullah had warned Patanjali that he would impose a cost of Rs 1 crore on every product regarding which a false claim is made that it could cure a particular disease. Patanjali’s lawyer had then assured the court that the company would not make any such ads in the future.
When the SC heard the IMA’s petition at 2 pm Tuesday, senior advocate P.S. Patwalia, appearing for the association, told the court that after it had passed its order in November last year, a press conference was organised by (Patanjali founder) Baba Ramdev and Balkrishna, where they again made misleading claims.
He also told the court about Patanjali advertisements claiming that the company’s products had permanent cure for diabetes, blood pressure, asthma, arthritis, and glaucoma.
In response, the bench asked Patanjali Ayurved’s lawyer, senior advocate Vipin Sanghi, “How can you claim permanent relief?”
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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