New Delhi : Patanjali Ayurved Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna has tendered an unqualified apology in the Supreme Court over alleged misleading advertisements.
In an affidavit, Patanjali Ayurved Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna said that he submits an unqualified apology before the top court for the breach of the statement recorded in the order copy of the top court dated November 21, 2023.
Acharya Balkrishna said that he will ensure that such advertisements are not issued in the future and submits that its intention is only to exhort the citizens of this country to lead a healthier life by consuming products of the Ayurvedic company, including products for lifestyle ailments, through the use of age old literature and materials supplemented and backed by Ayurvedic research.
“The deponent regrets that the advertisement in question, which was meant to contain only general statements, inadvertently included the offending sentences. The same was bona-fide and added to the routine course by the media department of the Respondent No. 5 Company. The personnel of the media department of the Respondent No. 5 Company were not cognizant of the order dated November 21, 2023,” read the affidavit
Acharya Balkrishna further submitted that Schedule J of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, read with the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1955, is in an archaic state and the last changes were introduced in 1996. The Drug & Cosmetic Act, 1940, was passed when scientific evidence in Ayurveda research was lacking.