Uttarakhand Govt Suspends Licenses Of 14 Patanjali Products Over Misleading Ads Case

The Uttarakhand government has suspended manufacturing licenses for 14 products of Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali, citing misleading advertisements. Of the 14, 13 are of Divya Yoga Pharmacy, a subsidiary of Patanjali.

This action comes amid growing scrutiny over allegations of false claims regarding traditional Ayurvedic medicines sold by Yoga Guru Ramdev. The move follows escalating legal challenges facing Ramdev’s enterprises amid concerns over questionable advertising practices.

On April 27, the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority said that it has filed a criminal complaint against Patanjali Ayurved and its founders Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, for violating the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act.

An affidavit that mentioned the criminal complaint was filed in response to the plea by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) against an alleged smear campaign carried out by Patanjali and its founders Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna against the COVID-19 vaccination drive and modern medicine.

The Supreme Court repeatedly criticised Ramdev for not complying with its directives in an ongoing case to stop misleading advertisements of some of his traditional ayurvedic medicines. The manufacturing permits of Ramdev’s companies were suspended in an April 15 order by the drug regulator of traditional medicines in Uttarakhand.

The case against Ramdev in the country’s apex court relates to the Indian Medical Association’s allegations that his firm, Patanjali, continued publishing misleading ads despite a court directive to stop them. Ramdev has said his actions were a lapse and his company has taken out newspaper ads apologising to the public.

In recent weeks, he has appeared before judges at the top court dressed to ask forgiveness, but the judges have so far not accepted his apology. The judges are considering whether to press contempt charges against Ramdev or not.

(With agency inputs)

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