after-sc-rebuke-acharya-balkrishna-is-sorry-for-patanjali-ayurved-s-misleading-ads

Patanjali Ayurved Limited's managing director, Acharya Balkrishna, has issued an unconditional apology for his company's misleading claims regarding the miraculous properties of its formulations, which also questioned the efficacy of modern medicine.

Balkrishna submitted an affidavit a day after being summoned to appear before the top court alongside Baba Ramdev on April 2.

In his brief affidavit, Balkrishna regretted the company's advertisement containing the "offending sentences."

The claims made by the company regarding the ability to cure various illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and asthma not only violate the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 but also amount to contempt of Court. The top court had previously restrained Patanjali from issuing such advertisements on November 21, 2023, and the company had given an undertaking to that effect.

Balkrishna stated in his affidavit that the advertisement inadvertently included these claims and offered an unqualified apology for breaching the court's order. He assured the court that such misleading advertisements would not be issued in the future.

However, Balkrishna also criticised the 1954 law as "archaic" and claimed that Patanjali now possesses evidence-based scientific data from clinical research conducted in Ayurveda. He argued that this research demonstrates advancements in treating diseases mentioned in the Schedule to the 1954 Act, which prohibits advertisements claiming to cure certain diseases.

Despite the apology, Balkrishna's affidavit suggests a belief in the validity of the company's claims. He highlighted the outdated nature of the 1954 Act and the lack of changes to accommodate advancements in Ayurvedic research since 1996.

The Court had previously reprimanded Balkrishna for violating the undertaking and failing to file an affidavit within the given timeframe. He was added as a party to the proceedings last month, alongside Baba Ramdev, and both were instructed to appear personally before the Court.