Supreme Court Reserves Judgment in Patanjali's Misleading Advertisement Case

SC on Patanjali Case: The Supreme Court reserved judgment against Patanjali Ayurved's promoter, yoga guru Ramdev, and managing director (MD) Balakrishna in a case concerning misleading advertisements of drugs made by the company. The court granted them three weeks to file an affidavit regarding steps taken to recall advertisements for medicines for which the license has been revoked, exempting them from personal appearance for now.

The Supreme Court also questioned the president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Dr. Asokan, for giving an interview to the press on the court's orders in the case. The court observed that Dr Asokan's actions mirrored those of Patanjali and expressed concern about the example set for the association's 3.5 lakh doctors.

Earlier, Patanjali's lawyers informed the court that the company published 322 apologies in newspapers over advertisements that made false claims about its products. The court acknowledged a marked improvement in the management's attitude and appreciated the apologies carrying the names of Ramdev and Balakrishna.

In previous hearings, the court had questioned the size of the public apologies compared to the company's advertisements and refused to accept their apology, citing wilful disobedience. The court ordered all district Ayurvedic and Unani officers in Haridwar since 2018 to submit actions taken by them.

The contempt proceedings stem from the publication of advertisements of products in violation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and its Rules, following a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The case has since expanded to include other FMCG companies exaggerating the health benefits of their products and the role of doctors in promoting such goods.