Supreme Court’s Contempt Notice To Patanjali: ‘Entire Country is Taken For a Ride’
Image Source: Lokmat
The Supreme Court slammed Patanjali Ayurved, claiming the firm was ‘taking the entire country for a ride’ with misleading marketing.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court slammed Patanjali Ayurved for misleading marketing and barred the company from advertising any product connected to diseases or other medical concerns. The Supreme Court stated that such false advertisements were causing the “entire country” to be taken advantage of.
This decision followed a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association against Patanjali Ayurved for allegedly disseminating false marketing.
Furthermore, Patanjali Ayurved and Acharya Balakrishnan have been served with a contempt of court summons for their role in propagating deceptive advertisements across numerous media platforms. They have been allotted three weeks to react to the notification.
During the hearing, Justices Hima Kohli and A. Amanullah chastised Patanjali Ayurved for running advertising against previous court directives from last year.
In November 2023, the Supreme Court warned Patanjali that it would face a Rs 1 crore fine if it made a false claim that its products could “cure” specific diseases.
About their previous warning to Patanjali, the bench stated, “Despite our warning, you are saying your products are better than chemical-based medicines.”
The bench resolved to issue notices of contempt of court orders to Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishnan, the two personalities featured in the advertising. Justice Amanullah stated that these individuals must respond and explain how they disobeyed the court’s directions.
Sanghi, representing Patanjali Ayurved, defended Baba Ramdev, claiming that he is a “sanyasi” who does not understand English. However, Justice Amanullah regarded the paper containing the advertising to be contemptuous and a clear breach of the court’s order.
What the Petitioners said:
Senior counsel PS Patwalia, representing the Indian Medical Association, emphasized Baba Ramdev’s press conference following a prior Supreme Court judgment.
Patwalia claimed that Patanjali Ayurveda had violated the law by publishing advertisements claiming to heal numerous conditions such as diabetes and asthma. Patwalia also highlighted a defamation complaint brought by Patanjali Ayurved against the Advertising Council.
The Supreme Court stated that advertisements depicting cures for ailments such as diabetes and high blood pressure cannot be justified.
“What do you mean when you say there is lasting remission from diseases? It signifies only two things: death or cure,” the Supreme Court observed, ordering Patanjali Ayurved to demonstrate how they carried out their duty to combat deceptive ads.
COURT QUESTIONS, MINISTRY OF AYUSH
During the hearing, the bench questioned the Ministry of Ayush’s response to the misleading advertisements.
According to the Additional Solicitor General (ASG), Patanjali Ayurved is collecting data on complaints and infractions. However, the bench was dissatisfied with the ministry’s answer, requiring immediate action and self-monitoring of such advertisements.
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