Supreme Court Orders Patanjali to Clarify Ad Removal

The Supreme Court has directed Patanjali Ayurved Ltd to file an affidavit confirming the removal of advertisements for 14 products whose manufacturing licenses were initially suspended and later reinstated. The court also involved the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to resolve issues related to misleading advertisements.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, founded by yoga guru Ramdev, to file an affidavit confirming whether advertisements for its 14 products, originally suspended but later restored, have been withdrawn.

The Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority initially suspended the manufacturing licenses of 14 Patanjali products on April 15, but later reinstated them following a high-level committee's report. The Supreme Court bench, led by Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta, took note of Patanjali's May 16 affidavit stating that sales of the affected products had ceased due to the suspension order.

The court is evaluating a plea from the Indian Medical Association alleging a smear campaign by Patanjali against Covid vaccines and modern medicine practices. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is involved in high-level discussions to address these issues, with future meetings planned to continue resolving stakeholder concerns.

(With inputs from agencies.)