The Supreme Court has dismissed contempt charges against Baba Ramdev yoga teacher and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. managing Director, AcharyaBalakrishnan, after they agreed to refrain from misleading advertisements of their products. This judgement is a crucial twist in the ongoing legal tussle that started with a 2022 Indian Medical Association (IMA) suit.
The IMA’s complaint said that Ramdev and Patanjali prompted advertisements to demean modern medicine and broke advertising laws by promoting miracle cures for different lifestyle diseases. These assertions contravene the 1954 Act on Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) and the Drugs and Cosmetics 1954 Regulations. This was followed by the Supreme Court’s contempt notices against Ramdev and Balakrishna after advertisements still appeared in newspapers when Patanjali had committed not to do so before.
On August 6, the Supreme Court also addressed a separate issue involving IMA President Dr. RV Asokan, instructing him to publish apologies in major newspapers that carried his interview, which contained controversial remarks regarding the hearing on misleading advertisements related to Patanjali. The court mandated that Asokan personally cover the costs of the apology, emphasising that the IMA should not pay for it.
Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta expressed dissatisfaction with the nature of the apology previously tendered by Asokan. His legal representative informed the court that the IMA had issued an apology across various media platforms, including a pop-up on its website. Still, the court remained critical of the situation.
The IMA had sought the court’s assistance in framing guidelines to prevent false and misleading advertisements concerning allopathy and modern medicine, reflecting growing concerns over the promotion of unverified health claims.
As the case against Ramdev and Balakrishna closes, the focus now shifts to ensuring that regulatory measures are in place to safeguard public health from misleading advertisements in the healthcare sector.
