Kerala court summons Baba Ramdev to address the case of misleading ads after the SC

An appearance is scheduled for June 3 to address the complaint regarding ads published in English and Malayalam dailies.

A magistrate court in Kerala, India, summoned Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna from Patanjali Ayurved to appear before it on June 3. The directive was given in relation to the issue of distributing deceptive ads in both English and Malayalam newspapers.

The judicial first-class magistrate court in Kozhikode issued the summons for both founders of Divya Pharmacy in Haridwar. This follows a grievance lodged by the drugs inspector, assistant drugs controller's office, in the magistrate court last month against Divya Pharmacy, which sells products from Patanjali.

There has been criticism towards Baba Ramdev’s company Patanjali for releasing deceptive ads promoting health remedies. The SC criticised Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna of Patanjali in a recent ruling for promoting Ayush treatment over modern medicine and requested a public apology from them.

In an affidavit submitted to the SC, the Uttarakhand government stated that they have authorised the filing of a complaint against Divya Pharmacy and Patanjali for continuous breaches of the drug advertisements law, leading to the suspension of manufacturing licenses for 14 of their products.

A complaint was filed by the drugs inspector in Kozhikode against two products under Section 3 of The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. The act prohibits misleading advertisements of certain drugs for certain diseases and disorders.

The complaint alleges that Divya Lipdom, a tablet manufactured by Divya Pharmacy, claims to reduce cholesterol and fat levels and improve fat metabolism, while Nutrela Diabetic Care, manufactured by Patanjali, claims to manage blood sugar levels and body weight. The drugs control department alleges violations of Section 3(b) and 3(d) of the Act.