A day after the Supreme Court issued a stern warning to Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved for misleading claims and ads against modern systems of medicine, the company said it was not making any “false advertisements or propaganda” regarding its products.
The company went on to say that it would not object if the Supreme Court were to impose a fine or “even give us a death sentence” if found making misleading claims.
Patanjali Ayurved claims it has a “database” of over one crore people, “with real world evidence, preclinical and clinical evidence”. Adding that it has “made thousands of people free from several diseases like BP, sugar, thyroid, asthma, arthritis, obesity, liver and kidney failure, and cancer.”
As per reports, the Baba Ramdev-led company said, “We humbly respect the Supreme Court of India and if we make false advertisements or propaganda, we would not have any objections if honourable court imposes a fine of crores or even give us a death sentence.”
The court said it could impose fines of up to Rs1 crore on each product if a false claim is made regarding its ability to ‘cure’ a specific disease, responding to a petition from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) challenging deceptive advertising practices.
A Bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Prashant Kumar Mishra emphasised that the issue could not be reduced to a debate between modern medicine and Ayurvedic products, and instructed Patanjali Ayurved to immediately halt all false and misleading ads.
Justice Amanullah remarked, “All false and misleading advertisements by Patanjali Ayurved have to stop immediately. This Court will take such infractions very seriously and will consider imposing costs of up to Rs 1 crore on every product for which a false claim is made that it can cure a particular disease.”
The Supreme Court has also urged the Union to tackle misleading medical ads and come up with a proposal of suitable recommendations after consultations in the next hearing, scheduled for February 5, 2024.
The apex court’s intervention and ensuing legal action could have far reaching implications for the industry and for medical advertising in India, prompting a reevaluation of standards and regulations.
Read More: Misleading Ads: Supreme Court issues stern warning to Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali