NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Patanjali Ayurved Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna and Yog Guru Ramdev to appear before it on the next date of hearing for not responding to the show cause notice in contempt proceedings against him over misleading advertisements of Patanjali Ayurved contempt notice. A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah’s direction came after it noted that the ayurvedic company had not responded to its earlier show cause notice in contempt proceedings against him over misleading advertisements. The court took strong exception to Patanjali Ayurveda for not responding to the show cause notice. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi however questioned the SC over summoning Ramdev. The court asked the senior advocate to raise all contentions when the case is heard on the next date. In the last hearing, the top court issued notice to Ayurvedic Company asking it to show cause why the contempt of action should not be initiated against the company and its managing director for giving misleading advertisements. The top court had observed that the ayurvedic company has prima facie violated the top court’s order dated November 2023 where it cautioned against misleading advertisements about its medicines. The court had also restrained the Ayurvedic Company (Patanjali Ayurved) from advertising or branding of their products specified as treating disease under the drugs norms and also cautioned it from making any statements against any system of medicine in the media. The court observation came when it noted that the company has given alleged misleading advertisements. The court was dealing with the Indian Medical Association’s plea seeking to frame guidelines for prohibiting false and misleading advertisements concerning Allopathy and Modern Medicine. IMA, a registered Society, has more than 3,30,000 medical doctors as its members all over the country. The petition also raised the issue that the campaign of misguidance, misinformation and disparagement against the modern system of medicine. IMA, in its plea, had sought to pass an order directing the Centre and others to immediately take strict and prompt action, following law, for the violation of the provisions of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945 and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 by the repeated acts of omission and commission of Respondent Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. including by publishing advertisements all over the country making illegal and prohibited claims.
