Supreme Court directs IMA to ensure Patanjali removes its misleading ads

The Supreme Court instructed the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to ensure that Patanjali Ayurved withdraws all 'misleading' advertisements across social media, electronic media, and other platforms, specifically targetting 14 products of the company whose licenses were revoked by the Uttarakhand licensing authority.

The case, heard by a bench led by Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta, was initiated by the IMA, which accused Patanjali of spreading deceptive medical advertisements with the court ruling that no promotions for these 14 medicines should be aired or published.

While senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Patanjali, informed the court that digital advertisements had been withdrawn, Justice Kohli sought further information on the steps taken beyond internal actions, specifically asking about efforts to notify social media platforms and other intermediaries about the licence suspensions.

Additionally, Advocate PS Patwalia, representing the IMA, clarified that although the licences were initially suspended, they were reinstated on May 17. As a result, the court directed the Uttarakhand licensing authority to file an affidavit within two weeks, detailing the licensing procedures. 

Moving further, Justice Kohli appointed advocate Shadan Farasat as amicus curiae to investigate the functioning of the Drugs and Licensing Authority amid concerns over Patanjali's efforts to remove misleading advertisements.  Additionally, the court was informed that IMA president Dr RV Asokan had issued an unconditional apology for his previous criticisms of the Supreme Court with Justice Kohli acknowledging Dr Asokan's affidavit and noting his expression of regret.