The Supreme Court’s blistering takedown of Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurveda for making misleading claims about its products has brought into focus an important issue that directly affects public health. Millions of gullible people in India become victims of blatantly false advertisements by companies offering miraculous cures for various ailments. A majority of them sell dubious Ayurvedic products that contain heavy metals, putting public health at risk. The apex court lambasted Patanjali for publishing misleading advertisements and banned it from marketing its products.
When the company ignored the court’s directive and continued with its campaign, boasting about its products and belittling allopathic medicines, the SC took serious note of it. The court refused to accept the unconditional apology offered by Ramdev and the company’s managing director Acharya Balkrishna and censured them for willful, deliberate and repeated violation of the court’s orders. The Indian Medical Association had filed a petition before the apex court in August 2022 after Patanjali published an advertisement questioning the efficacy of allopathy medicines and accusing the pharma industry of spreading misconceptions. Ramdev has also been accused of smear campaigns against the Covid-19 vaccination drive and modern medicine. The strong takedown by the SC will hopefully send out a tough message. Many such groups sell non-scientific medicines and fool the innocent public. In particular, those associated with various religious groups are the culprits.