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Supreme Court warns states over inaction on misleading ads

The bench stated that any non-compliance by states and union territories could lead to proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, against the concerned states.

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday cautioned states about initiating contempt proceedings for failing to act against misleading advertisements.

A bench led by Justice Abhay S Oka criticised the Delhi government’s explanation, citing challenges in identifying offenders, as "peculiar" and requested status reports from other states on actions taken in response to complaints. Compliance reviews for Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir have been scheduled for 10 February.

The bench stated that any non-compliance by states and union territories could lead to proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, against the concerned states.

Contempt case against IMA president closed

In a separate matter, the Supreme Court closed contempt proceedings against Indian Medical Association (IMA) president R.V. Asokan after he issued an unconditional apology for comments made in April 2024.

The court had earlier directed Asokan to publish an apology in leading newspapers for criticising the apex court’s suggestion that allopathic doctors address unethical practices in modern medicine. Asokan’s remarks, made during an interview, described the court's suggestion as 'unfortunate' and claimed it had 'demoralised' the medical community, prompting the contempt proceedings.

The court is also hearing a petition filed by the IMA against advertisements by Patanjali that disparaged allopathy and made claims of curing specific diseases. Yoga guru Ramdev and his associate Balkrishna, along with Patanjali, have already apologised for the advertisements.

Supreme court misleading advertisement