Supreme Court's Legal Thunder: Patanjali Receives Stern Warning, Heavy Penalty Looms.

New Delhi : The Supreme Court delivered a stern warning to Patanjali Ayurved, the company associated with yoga guru Baba Ramdev, cautioning against the publication of misleading claims and advertisements targeting modern medicine systems. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) filed a petition against these alleged misleading advertisements. The court, presided over by Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Prashant Kumar Mishra, emphasized the need to halt immediately all false and misleading advertisements by Patanjali Ayurved.

The apex court issued notices to the Union Health Ministry, the AYUSH Ministry, and Patanjali Ayurved Limited in response to the IMA’s petition, which accused Baba Ramdev of campaigning against the vaccination drive and modern medicines. During the hearing, the bench directed Patanjali Ayurved to refrain from publishing misleading claims and advertisements against modern medicine systems. The court even hinted at the possibility of imposing a fine of Rs 1 crore on each product that falsely claims to cure a specific disease.

The court urged the counsel representing the Central government to explore a resolution to the issue of misleading medical advertisements, particularly those making accurate claims about medicines treating specific diseases. The bench has scheduled the next hearing on the IMA’s plea for February 5 next year.

In a previous hearing, the apex court criticized Baba Ramdev for disparaging allopathy and allopathic doctors, expressing the need to restrain him from defaming doctors and other treatment systems. The court acknowledged Ramdev’s contribution to popularizing yoga but questioned the guarantee of Ayurveda’s efficacy and criticized advertisements accusing allopathic doctors as if they were murderers.

The IMA’s petition highlighted several advertisements allegedly portraying allopaths and doctors negatively, along with defamatory statements made by Ayurvedic medicine producers. The court’s warning underscores the gravity of the issue, emphasizing the importance of responsible advertising and discouraging any attempt to undermine confidence in established medical practices.

The Supreme Court’s vigilant stance reflects its commitment to upholding the integrity of the medical profession and preventing misinformation that may adversely impact public health decisions. The court’s strong message to Patanjali Ayurved reinforces the need for transparency and accuracy in healthcare-related advertisements, promoting a responsible approach to disseminating medical information.