SC tightens grip on misleading medical ads

The Supreme Court has issued a stern warning to states, cautioning them about potential contempt proceedings for failing to take action against misleading advertisements in the medical sector. 

A bench led by Justice Abhay S Oka expressed dissatisfaction with the Delhi government’s response, which cited difficulties in identifying offenders as a reason for inaction, describing the explanation as “peculiar.”

The court is currently hearing a petition filed by the IMA against advertisements by Patanjali, which allegedly targeted allopathy and made unsubstantiated claims about curing specific diseases. 

The court has sought detailed status reports from various states, including Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir, regarding measures taken to address complaints against such advertisements. The compliance review for these states is scheduled for February 10.

The bench firmly stated, "If we find any non-compliance by the states and union territories, proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, may have to be initiated against the concerned states."

Separately, the Supreme Court has closed contempt proceedings against Indian Medical Association (IMA) president R V Asokan following his unconditional apology for comments he made about the court in April 2024. The court had earlier instructed Asokan to publish an apology in major newspapers for his remarks, which had criticised the apex court’s suggestion that allopathic doctors address unethical practices in modern medicine.

In an interview with PTI, Asokan had described the court's suggestion as "unfortunate" and claimed it had “demoralised” the medical fraternity. His remarks had prompted the contempt proceedings, which were concluded after his public apology.

Yoga guru Ramdev and Patanjali’s co-founder Balkrishna have already issued apologies in connection with the case.