The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a contempt notice to Patanjali Ayurved and Acharya Balakrishnan for 'misleading advertisements' in various media. The apex court, which was hearing a petition by the Indian Medical Association, criticised Patanjali for 'misleading' advertisements and banned the company from advertising any product related to diseases or other medical conditions.
The top court said the "entire country was being taken for a ride" through such misleading advertisements. Patanjali Ayurved and Acharya Balakrishnan have been granted a three-week period to respond to the contempt notice.
The Supreme Court in November 2023 warned Patanjali that it would be fined Rs 1 crore if a false claim is made that its products can "cure" certain diseases.
During the hearing today, Justices Hima Kohli and A Amanullah criticised Patanjali Ayurved for releasing advertisements despite previous court orders issued last year. While referring to their previous warning to Patanjali, the bench said, "Despite our warning, you are saying your products are better than chemical-based medicines."
The bench decided to issue notices for contempt of court orders to the two people featured in the advertisements, Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishnan.
Senior advocate PS Patwalia, representing the Indian Medical Association, highlighted a press conference held by Baba Ramdev. He said that Patanjali Ayurved had published advertisements in violation of the law, claiming to cure various ailments, including diabetes and asthma. The advocate also mentioned a defamation case filed by Patanjali Ayurved against the Advertising Council.
On this, the top court remarked that there can’t be any defence of advertisements showing cures for illnesses including diabetes and blood pressure. "What do you mean by permanent relief to the diseases? It means only two things - either death or cure," the SC said, asking Patanjali Ayurved to show how they discharged their duties to tackle misleading advertisements.