Misleading Ad case : Patanjali's Balkrishna issues 'unqualified' apology to SC

Randev-owned Patanjali Ayurved's managing partner Acharya Balkrishna issued an 'unqualified apology' to the Supreme Court regarding alleged misleading advertisements.

Randev-owned Patanjali Ayurved’s managing partner Balkrishna issued an ‘unqualified apology’ to the Supreme Court regarding alleged misleading advertisements, on Thursday. The court’s order came after the company allegedly violated advertisement regulations and aired misleading advertisements regarding its medicines.

Patanjali’s ‘Unqualified’ Apology

In an affidavit submitted to the court, Balkrishna expressed regret over the advertisement and clarified that media personnel were unaware of the court’s order dated November 21st, 2023.

The affidavit read, “The deponent regrets that the advertisement in question, which was meant to contain only general statements, inadvertently included the offending sentences. The same was bona-fide and added to the routine course by the media department of the Respondent No. 5 Company. The personnel of the media department of the Respondent No. 5 Company were not cognizant of the order dated November 21, 2023.”

Balkrishna assured the top court that such (misleading) advertisements would not be a problem in the future and clarifying the company’s intention, he said that they wanted to promote healthier living through the use of Ayurvedic products, backed by scientific research and age-old literature.

Case against Patanjali

A plea was filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in the Supreme Court seeking action against Patanjali Ayurved for misleading advertisement. The court had issued notice to the company and its managing director following the plea.

The Supreme Court Banned Patanjali’s Ads

The court observed that Ramdev’s company had prima facie violated its earlier order and it temporarily banned the company from advertising its medicines with ‘misleading claims’, on February 27th.

On March 19th, the Supreme Court said Ramdev and Balkrishna had violated sections 3 and 4 of the Drug and Magic Remedies Act. The bench also came down on the Modi government for inaction, ‘while the entire country was taken for a ride’. The court has ordered Ramdev and Balkrishna to appear in person on April 2nd.