In the case of misleading advertisements by Patanjali Ayurved, the Supreme Court directed Baba Ramdev to appear in court today, April 2. Earlier, hearings were held on February 27 and March 19 regarding this matter.
During the previous hearing, the Supreme Court had issued notices to Baba Ramdev and Patanjali’s MD, Acharya Balkrishna, to respond. However, neither Baba Ramdev nor Acharya Balkrishna responded to the notices, leading the court to strongly rebuke them. The court had then ordered them to appear in person. Subsequently, the court directed them to appear today, April 2. However, the company has also sought unconditional forgiveness from the court for its mistakes in this matter.
All Misleading Drug Advertisements Stayed
On February 27, the Supreme Court stayed all misleading drug advertisements by Patanjali Ayurved. Notices were issued due to the contempt of court. Last year, the court had announced the suspension of misleading advertisements, which Patanjali had ignored.
Hearing on Indian Medical Association’s Petition
The Supreme Court heard the petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on August 17, 2022. The petition stated that Patanjali had engaged in negative advertising against COVID vaccination and allopathy. Additionally, the company had falsely claimed to cure some diseases with its Ayurvedic medicines.
Patanjali Continued Advertising Despite Court Orders
Despite the court’s orders, Patanjali continued to release advertisements. During the previous hearing, the IMA presented advertisements published in print media in December 2023 and January 2024. It’s worth noting that a press conference was held on November 22, 2023, with Patanjali’s CEO Balkrishna and Yoga Guru Ramdev. During the conference, Patanjali claimed to ‘completely cure’ diabetes and asthma through its advertisements.
This press conference took place just a day after the Supreme Court hearing. During the November 21, 2023 hearing, Justice Amanullah had ordered Patanjali to immediately stop all misleading advertisements. The Supreme Court takes such violations very seriously and can impose fines of up to ₹1 crore for false claims on any product.