Supreme Court Rebukes Government’s Inaction on Patanjali’s ‘False’ Ads
Baba Ramdev is the co-owner of the Patanjali Ayurved
The Supreme Court delivered strong criticism against the government today, expressing dissatisfaction with its lack of action in addressing a case involving “misleading and false” advertisements by Patanjali Ayurved, co-owned by yoga guru Ramdev.
In its rebuke, the Supreme Court remarked, “The government is sitting with its eyes closed,” emphasizing that the entire country is being misled by such advertisements. The bench termed the situation as “very unfortunate” and insisted that immediate action must be taken by the government.
Directing Patanjali Ayurved to cease all electronic and print advertisements providing “misleading” information about its medicines with immediate effect, the Supreme Court underscored the urgency of addressing the issue.
This move follows the Supreme Court’s caution to Patanjali Ayurved in November last year, warning against making “false” and “misleading” claims in its advertisements about medicinal products. The court expressed concern about the tone of the advertisements, particularly those criticizing allopathy and doctors.
Referring to yoga guru Ramdev Baba’s role in popularizing yoga, the bench had emphasized the need for responsible advertising. The court urged the government to find a remedy to tackle misleading medical advertisements and raised specific concerns about advertisements that allegedly portrayed allopathy negatively.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had brought attention to various advertisements that negatively portrayed allopathy and doctors, with disparaging statements made by companies involved in the production of ayurvedic medicines. The commercials reportedly suggested that medical practitioners were facing health issues despite using modern medicines.
The Supreme Court’s recent directive reinforces the need for swift government action to address misleading advertisements in the healthcare sector and highlights the ongoing tensions between traditional and modern medical practices in India.
