A worker arranges consumable goods inside a Patanjali store in Ahmedabad, India,
Credit: Reuters File Photo
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Patanjali Ayurved to stop publishing "misleading" claims and advertisements against modern medicine systems like allopathy.
A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Prashant Kumar Mishra issued a stern warning to the company co-founded by Baba Ramdev.
The court was taking up a petition filed by Indian Medical Association (IMA), last year alleging smear campaigns against allopathic medicines, their doctors and Covid-19 vaccination.
The bench said that it is not keen to make the issue an "Allopathy vs Ayurveda" debate, rather wanted to find a real solution to the problem of misleading medical advertisements.
The bench said it is taking this matter very seriously and it could also consider imposing costs to the extent of Rs one crore.
The court directed that Patanjali Ayurved will not publish any such advertisements in the future, and would also ensure that casual statements are not made by it in the media.
The apex court asked the Centre’s counsel to find a viable solution to tackle the problem and fixed the matter for further hearing on February 5, 2024.