Patanjali apologized to the Supreme Court in the misleading advertisement case, filed an affidavit and said – we are sorry

Patanjali has tendered an unconditional apology to the Supreme Court (SC) for its past statements in the misleading advertisement case. Patanjali Ayurved MD Acharya Balkrishna has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that he regrets the company’s advertisement containing ‘derogatory sentences’.

In fact, in the last hearing, the Supreme Court had directed Acharya Balkrishna to appear personally in the court on April 2 for not responding to the notice. Not only this, the court has also issued a show cause notice to Baba Ramdev and asked him to appear on April 2.

The intention was not to insult

The company’s MD Balkrishna has said in the affidavit that the advertisements released after November 2023 were intended only to be ‘general statements’, but they accidentally included ‘derogatory sentences’. He also said that these advertisements were approved by Patanjali’s media department, which was unaware of the Supreme Court order of November 2023.

Expressed regret for misleading advertisements

Through an affidavit, Acharya Balkrishna expressed regret over the misleading advertisements. Along with this, he clarified that the company will ensure that such advertisements are not released in future. The company has also issued a clarification saying that its intention is to inspire the citizens of the country to adopt a healthy lifestyle by including Patanjali products in their daily routine.

The company had given this assurance in 2023

Let us tell you that the company had assured in November 2023 that it will refrain from making any baseless claims on medical efficacy or condemning any system of medicine. However, despite previous assurances, Patanjali continued with misleading advertisements. This was a clear violation of his commitment.

What is IMA’s allegation?

IMA alleges that Patanjali had run a campaign regarding Covid-19 vaccination. On this, the court had warned that false and misleading advertisements by Patanjali Ayurveda should be stopped immediately. In the petition filed by the Indian Medical Association, it was said that the misleading advertisements of Patanjali are leading to neglect of allopathy medicines. IMA had said that the claims of Patanjali have not been confirmed and they are in violation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act 1954 and Consumer Protection Act. This is a direct violation of laws like Act 2019. Patanjali Ayurveda had claimed that Corona can be treated with their products Coronil and Swasari. After this claim, the company was reprimanded by the Ministry of AYUSH and asked to immediately stop its promotion.