The
Supreme Court Tuesday cautioned Patanjali Ayurved, a company co-founded by yoga
guru Ramdev and dealing in herbal products, against making "false"
and "misleading" claims in advertisements about its medicines as cure
of several diseases.
"All
such false and misleading advertisements of Patanjali Ayurved have to stop
immediately. The court will take any such infraction very seriously...," a
bench comprising justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Prashant Kumar Mishra orally
observed while hearing a plea of the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
The
top court, on August 23, 2022, had issued notices to the Union health ministry
and Ministry of Ayush and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, on the plea of the IMA
alleging a smear campaign by Ramdev against the vaccination drive and modern
medicines.
During
the brief hearing, the bench asked Patanjali Ayurved not to publish misleading
claims and advertisements against modern systems of medicine.
It
said the bench may also consider imposing a fine of Rs 1 crore on every product
if a false claim is made that it can cure a particular ailment.
The
top court asked the counsel appearing for the Centre to find a remedy to the
issue of misleading medical advertisements where claims are being made about
medicines that offer perfect cure of certain diseases.
The
bench will now take up the plea of IMA for hearing on February 5, next year.
The
top court, while issuing notices on the plea, had come down heavily on Ramdev
for criticising allopathy and allopathic practitioners, saying he needed to be
restrained from abusing the doctors and other systems of treatment.
"What
happened to this Guru Swami Ramdev Baba?... Ultimately we respect him as he
popularised yoga. We all go for this. But, he should not criticise the other
system. What is the guarantee that Ayurveda whatever system he is following
will work? You see the type of advertisements accusing all the doctors as if
they are killers or something. Huge advertisements (have been given)," the
bench headed by the then CJI N V Ramana, since retired, had said.
IMA
had referred to several advertisements which allegedly projected the allopath
and the doctors in poor light, saying that "disparaging" statements
have also been made by firms, engaged in the production of ayurvedic medicines,
to mislead the general public.
These
commercials say that the medical practitioners themselves are dying despite
taking modern medicines, the counsel for the IMA had said.
IMA
had said that a concerted effort was being made to discourage the vaccinations,
including the COVID-19 jab drive, and the use of allopathic medicines in the
country.