Patanjali Ayurved received a show-cause notice from the Supreme Court on February 27 for retracting its assurance to abstain from making misleading claims in advertisements for its medicines. This action comes after the company, co-founded by yoga guru Ramdev, failed to uphold its commitment.
According to a report by moneycontrol, the court prohibited the company from disseminating advertisements asserting the treatment of ailments such as BP, diabetes, fevers, epilepsy, and lupus, as outlined in the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act of 1954.
The government was called out for its inaction against the firm. SC has demanded the submission of an affidavit outlining the actions taken by the center to prevent companies from misrepresenting medicines in the media. Patanjali and its staff were cautioned against disseminating any misleading information regarding the curative properties of their products.
The directive was issued following a writ petition submitted by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) concerning deceptive advertisements.
Last year, Patanjali had pledged to refrain from airing advertisements containing unsubstantiated claims about its products. However, despite this commitment, Patanjali continued with its advertisements.
SC has urged the Centre to formulate a proposal aimed at addressing the broader problem of deceptive medical advertisements. Patanjali's campaigns, which criticized modern medicine and vaccination efforts, were also brought to the attention of the court by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
