Not Concerned With Patanjali Only, But All FMCG Companies Which Deceive Customers Selling Products With False Health Claims: Supreme Court

While refusing to accept the apology affidavit furnished by Patanjali, its MD and co-founder in the misleading ads case, the Supreme Court yesterday expressed its concern about fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) companies deceiving innocent consumers and playing with public health.

The Bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah pulled up Patanjali during the hearing, but extended its reservations to all FMCGs, saying, "we are not concerned with only these contemnors before us, we are concerned with all those FMCGs and all those companies who are taking their consumers and clients up the garden path and showing them some very rosy pictures of what their product can do for them...and ending up with those people who are paying good money for it, suffering at the cost of their health. This is absolutely unacceptable".

Conceding to a limited extent, Sr Adv Balbir Singh (appearing for Baba Ramdev) said that this opportunity could be taken to frame broader guidelines for the larger consumer base/larger industry. However, the attempts to have the court's further orders tempered with mercy remained unfruitful.

On the aspect of public health, Justice Kohli could be further heard saying to Singh, "These are major fault lines and the victim of these fault lines is not the profit of your companies, but the health of the public."

Other detailed reports about the hearing can be read in the following links :

Supreme Court Says Patanjali MD, Baba Ramdev Cited Non-Existing Flight Tickets To Avoid Personal Appearance; Rejects Second Apology

'What About People Who Consumed These Medicines?' : Supreme Court Slams Uttarakhand Authorities Over Inaction Against Patanjali

Counsel for petitioner (IMA): Senior Advocate PS Patwalia

Counsels for respondents: Senior Advocates Mukul Rohatgi, Balbir Singh (for Baba Ramdev), Vipin Sanghi and Dhruv Mehta (for State of Uttarakhand); Solicitor General Tushar Mehta; ASG KM Nataraj, AoR Vanshaja Shukla (for State of Uttarakhand)

Case Title: INDIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION v. UNION OF INDIA | W.P.(C) No. 645/2022