Supreme Court lashes out at Patanjali Ayurved for misleading advertisements

The Supreme Court lashed out at the Indian Multinational Conglomerate Holding Patanjali for publishing misleading advertisements despite assuring the court in November 2023 that they would not do so. “Today, I am going to pass a really strict order. You flouted this order! You had the courage and guts to come up with this advertisement after the order of this Court,” Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah told Patanjali. The Union Government was also questioned about whether action had been taken against Patanjali in accordance with the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954. “The entire country is taken for a ride! You wait for two years when the Acts says this is prohibited,” Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah told Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj.

The case was pertaining to claims made by Patanjali that their Ayurvedic products can permanently cure diabetes, blood pressure, asthma, arthritis, glaucoma etc. Patanjali had also passed remarks against other systems of medicine such as Allopathy. “All such false and misleading advertisements of Patanjali Ayurved have to stop immediately. The Court will take any such infraction very seriously, and the Court will also consider imposing costs to the extent of Rs. 1 crores on every product regarding which a false claim is made that it can “cure” a particular disease,” Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah mentioned.