The Supreme Court has instructed the Uttarakhand government to make a decision within two weeks regarding the sale of 14 Ayurvedic products by Patanjali and Divya Pharmacy. The licenses for these products, previously suspended by the state government, are currently under review after the suspension order was cancelled.
The bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta issued this directive after being informed that Patanjali and Divya Pharmacy continue to sell the products despite the suspension order. Patanjali’s counsel stated that the suspension was lifted on July 1, following a review by a committee, and a fresh notice was issued by the Uttarakhand government on July 8. A final decision is pending.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had initially filed a complaint against Patanjali for making misleading claims and running disparaging advertisements against allopathic medicine. Despite Patanjali’s previous commitment to cease such advertisements, the practice reportedly continued, leading to contempt proceedings against Patanjali, its MD Acharya Balkrishna, and co-founder Baba Ramdev.
Patanjali, Baba Ramdev, and Acharya Balkrishna apologised to the court, but their apologies were rejected. The court has since demanded accountability from the State Licensing Authorities, particularly in Uttarakhand, for their inaction. The state’s affidavit was considered in the latest hearing, and IMA sought time to file a counter.
In the July 9 hearing, the Supreme Court requested an additional affidavit from Patanjali to clarify whether social media platforms and intermediaries had removed advertisements for the 14 Ayurvedic medicines. The court also addressed multiple applications from advertising industry bodies, expressing concerns about a previous court order restricting advertisements.
Assistant Solicitor General KM Nataraj informed the court that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is holding high-level meetings with stakeholders to resolve these issues. The court directed the Ministry to continue these discussions and submit an affidavit with recommendations.
This ongoing case underscores the significant regulatory and legal challenges surrounding the advertising and sale of Ayurvedic products in India. The court’s decision will likely impact the future operations of Patanjali and other Ayurvedic product manufacturers.
