Supreme Court Warns Patanjali to End False Product Claims or Face Heavy Fines

Cautioning Yoga guru Ramdev-led Patanjali Ayurved over “misleading” claims in ads, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said a fine of Rs 1 crore will be considered on every product if a false claim is made that it can cure a particular ailment.

Patanjali Ayurved, a company co-founded by yoga guru Ramdev and dealing in herbal products, was issued notice by the top court on August 23 this year on the plea of Indian Medical Association (IMA) alleging a smear campaign by Ramdev against the vaccination drive and modern medicines. Along with Patanjali, Union health ministry and Ministry of Ayush were also issued notices.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Patanjali Ayurved to stop “all such false and misleading” advertisements “immediately. The court will take any such infraction very seriously…,” a bench comprising justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Prashant Kumar Mishra orally observed while hearing the plea of the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
During the brief hearing, the bench asked Patanjali Ayurved not to publish misleading claims and advertisements against modern systems of medicine.

The apex court 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 and 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. 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.