After Patanjali, IMA chief's turn to face flak from Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Tuesday frowned on comments made against it by Indian Medical Association president R V Asokan and said they were "very, very unacceptable". The court sought Asokan's response on an application filed by Patanjali Ayurved and posted the matter for further hearing on May 14.

On April 29, Asokan had said that it was "unfortunate" that SC criticised the association and also some of the practices of private doctors.

Advertisers , endorsers equally responsible for misleading ads , says SC

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Patanjali, told the bench that they had filed an application urging the court to take judicial notice of "wanton and unwarranted comments" made by IMA chief.

"This is a serious issue. They are trying to divert the course of justice... You asked one or two queries and see how they are reacting as if nobody can ask anything," Rohatgi said. "You can't say you don't know," the bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah told IMA's counsel.

Asokan was replying to a query about SC's observations during a hearing on April 23 when it had said while it was pointing one finger at Patanjali, the remaining four fingers were pointed towards IMA. "Vague and generalised statements", Asokan said, had demoralised private doctors.

The bench had, on the previous hearing, told IMA to "put its house in order" and address unethical practices by doctors and hospitals like prescribing unnecessary and expensive medicines. During hearing on the case on misleading advertisements of Patanjali Ayurveda, the bench also said advertisers and endorsers were equally responsible for issuing misleading advertisements given by companies and suggested that celebrities and public figures should act responsibly while promoting a product.

Court said advertisers should give a self-declaration before putting advertisements in public domain on line of Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. It directed Centre to put in place a mechanism for consumers to lodge complaints regarding misleading advertisements.