From Covid cure claims to allopathy slurs: Why Supreme Court is furious with Patanjali? | Ep 108

[00:00:00] A titan of the FMCG world, one celebrated for its natural remedies and wellness products.

[00:00:24] Baba Ramdev's Patanjali now finds itself in the cross hairs of Indian Judy Shreem.

[00:00:31] The fact that the company claimed to have a cure for everything from diabetes to COVID-19

[00:00:37] has not resonated too well with the apex court of India.

[00:00:51] Hi, you are listening to Onmanorama's explainer podcast, News Break, a weekly show that breaks

[00:00:57] down news in a clutter-free manner.

[00:01:00] This is Harita Benjamin and today we are delving into the controversy surrounding one of India's

[00:01:06] most well-known conglomerates, Patanjali Ayurveda Limited.

[00:01:12] Patanjali which has turned into a household name in India since its inception in 2006

[00:01:19] has been taken to task by the Supreme Court for its tall claims.

[00:01:24] The court issued a contempt notice to the leading FMCG company for disseminating misleading ads.

[00:01:31] While hearing of a writ petition filed by the Indian Medical Association or the IMA against Patanjali,

[00:01:37] the court even contemplated imposing a blanket ban on all of Patanjali's product advertisements.

[00:01:45] But it limited the restrictions to advertisements later.

[00:01:50] Subsequently, the court served a contempt notice to Patanjali and its director, Archarya Balprashna.

[00:01:57] Though the Patanjali issued an unconditional apology to the court in March, it was not satisfied.

[00:02:03] The firm was asked to file a better response in a week.

[00:02:07] But Patanjali's next attempt to wiggle out of trouble with last-minute flight tickets and apologies

[00:02:13] also fell flat. The two separate affidavits filed by Baba Ramdev and his aide, Archarya Balprashna,

[00:02:20] was also rejected by the court on April 10th. The SC bench comprising justices Hema Kohli

[00:02:28] and Asanuddin Amanullah also slammed the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority for its inaction on the issue.

[00:02:36] The SC didn't spare the Union government either.

[00:02:39] The court asked the Centre why it did not act against Patanjali despite its claims that its

[00:02:46] products could cure the COVID. As mentioned earlier, the contempt case

[00:02:52] arises out of a petition filed by the IMA against Patanjali's advertisements attacking

[00:02:57] alopathy and making claims about curing certain diseases. So what are these claims?

[00:03:04] Claim 1 In February 2021, Ramdev launched Patanjali's Coronal,

[00:03:11] which he described as the first evidence-based medicine for COVID-19. The launch was attended by

[00:03:18] the then Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, also a doctor. The poster at the event even claimed that

[00:03:26] Coronal held a certificate of pharmaceutical product and is recognised by the WHO's

[00:03:32] good manufacturing practices. The WHO, however, clarified that it had not reviewed or certified

[00:03:39] any traditional medicine to treat or prevent COVID-19. Claim 2 On July 10, 2022, a half-page

[00:03:49] advertisement of Patanjali appeared on the page of a leading daily. It said,

[00:03:54] Claim 3 The IMA contends that while every commercial entity has a right to promote its products,

[00:04:24] the unverified claims made by Patanjali are in direct violation of laws such as the Drugs and

[00:04:30] Other Magic Remedies Act of 1954 and the Consumer Protection Act of 2019. Claim 3

[00:04:54] In a viral video, Ramdev referred to alopathy as a stupid and bankrupt sign that was responsible

[00:05:05] for the deaths of lakhs of people. The IMA was naturally furious with Ramdev's onslaught against

[00:05:12] alopathy. The association accused Patanjali of spreading false rumours about COVID-19 vaccines

[00:05:20] and contributing to vaccine hesitancy. Following this, the agency filed a petition

[00:05:27] against the firm in the Supreme Court. As per law, the Drugs and Other Magic Remedies Act that

[00:05:33] regulates magic pill claims lays down a jail term and fine for misleading ads. The Supreme Court's

[00:05:40] issuance of contempt notice to Patanjali for misleading ads underscores the significance

[00:05:45] of ethical advertising practices and consumer protection. It sends a robust message to companies

[00:05:53] that deceptive marketing will not be tolerated and may result in serious legal repercussions.

[00:06:01] That's a wrap for today's episode of On Manorama's Newsbreak, an explainer podcast produced by

[00:06:07] Harita Benjamin with technical production by Idea Brew Studios. It comes out every week

[00:06:13] and is available on all podcast platforms. Follow on manorama.com for more updates.