Supreme Court Slams Patanjali Ads: Uttarakhand Officer Begs for Mercy in Misleading Ads Case

Baba Ramdev Controversy: The Supreme Court has rejected Patanjali’s apology affidavits (File). A bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah expressed dissatisfaction with the purportedly insincere apologies from the company and its founders. The court focused on Dr. Mithilesh Kumar, the Joint Director of the state’s Food and Drug Administration, who had pleaded for mercy, stating, “Please spare me…I came in June 2023…this happened before me.”

However, the court remained unyielding, questioning the actions taken and the absence of appropriate measures by the Uttarakhand FDA. The court dismissed arguments that the Uttarakhand FDA had acted by merely issuing a warning to Patanjali. It pointed out that the 1954 Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act does not allow for warnings or compounding of offenses.

The court criticized the authority for not taking sufficient action, stating, “This happened six times…back and forth. The licensing inspector remained quiet. There is no report by the officer (in charge)…person appointed subsequently acted the same.”

It demanded to know why appropriate legal action was not taken and why a warning was deemed sufficient. The court further rebuked the beleaguered officer, instructing them to stay at home for a few days and cautioning against playing with public health. This reprimand followed Patanjali Ayurved’s co-founders’ previous criticism for “absolute defiance” of the Supreme Court.

Justices Kohli and Amanullah also directed serious questions towards the AYUSH Ministry for not taking action against Patanjali after its controversial advertisements belittling contemporary medicine. The court’s admonition stemmed from a contempt case against Patanjali over the publication of advertisements containing false claims about its products’ medical efficacy. Despite the court’s previous directive to cease all misleading ads immediately, ads making such claims continued to be published.