NEW DELHI: In a recent Supreme Court hearing, Patanjali Ayurved admitted to running misleading ads and issued an apology published in 67 newspapers. They expressed respect for the court and vowed not to repeat their mistakes. The court questioned whether the size of the apology matched the full-page ads for their products.
Patanjali claimed the ads cost Rs 10 lakh and apologised for disregarding their advocates’ advice. Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna attended the hearing. The court asked why the apology was delayed until just before the hearing and ordered Patanjali to submit the ads’ actual size.
The Supreme Court bench headed by Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, sternly questioned team Ramdev, asking why the apology was submitted one week later, right before the scheduled Supreme Court hearing.”Is the apology the same size as your advertisements?” Justice Kohli said.
“Do not enlarge them and supply them to us. We want to see the actual size. We want to see that when you issue an ad it does not mean we have to see it by a microscope. It is not meant to be on papers but also read,” the court further said.
READ MORE : Baba Ramdev’s apology falls short: SC unimpressed with Patanjali’s actions
They emphasised the importance of readable ads and warned against attempting to degrade allopathy. Last week, the court had directed Patanjali to publicly apologize within a week. Noting similar misleading ads from other FMCG companies, the court expressed concern about their impact on public health, especially among babies, children, and seniors.
“This, in particular, is affecting the health of babies, school-going children, and senior citizens who have been consuming their products,” Justice Kohli said. They called for the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to join the case and examine measures to prevent abuse of the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act. The next hearing is scheduled for April 30.
The Supreme Court is addressing a petition from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) alleging Patanjali’s smear campaign against modern medicine.