Top Medical Body Director’s Comments Anger Supreme Court: Be Ready…

The Supreme Court of India recently examined the public apology issued by Patanjali Ayurved and expressed appreciation for the progress made. A bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanulla acknowledged the improvement in the situation, noting that while there was only Patanjali earlier, there are now other names in the market. The court requested Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna to file on record the original page of each newspaper in which the public apology was issued. Additionally, the bench expressed strong dissatisfaction with comments made by Indian Medical Association (IMA) President RV Asokan in an interview with the news agency PTI.

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Patanjali Ayurved in court, brought the remarks to the court’s attention, prompting the bench to request the interview to be made a part of the record. Justice Amanullah warned of potential serious consequences, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. The IMA President’s remarks to PTI, stating that the Supreme Court’s criticism was “unfortunate,” were brought to the court’s attention. The IMA President’s response was in reference to the Supreme Court’s observation during a hearing on April 23, where the court had noted the pointed criticism towards both Patanjali and IMA.

The court also questioned the inaction of the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority, expressing dissatisfaction with its explanation and observing that it had taken action only after the apex court’s order. The case dates back to November of the previous year, when the Supreme Court, while hearing a petition filed by IMA, cautioned Patanjali Ayurved against making false and misleading claims in its advertisements about its medicines. The court directed Patanjali Ayurved to halt all electronic and print advertisements of its medicines back in April, due to misleading information. The IMA had raised concerns about advertisements projecting allopathy and doctors in a negative light and criticizing firms engaged in the production of ayurvedic medicines.