Misleading ads: SC sets 2-month deadline for states/UTs to create grievance redressal mechanism
The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed states and union territories to set up a grievance redressal mechanism against misleading medical advertisements that "can cause great harm to society".
"We direct the state governments to create proper grievance redressal mechanisms within a period of two months from today and give adequate publicity to the availability at frequent intervals," a Bench led by Justice Abhay S Oka said.
It said state governments and UTs should create such mechanisms for members of the public to lodge complaints about objectionable advertisements prohibited under Drugs and Magic Remedies Act, 1954.
It also asked them to sensitise the police machinery on implementation of various provisions of the Act.
The top court had on May 7, 2024 directed that before an advertisement was permitted to be issued, a self-declaration be obtained from the advertisers on the line of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994.
The issue got highlighted during the hearing of a petition filed in 2022 by the Indian Medical Association alleging a smear campaign by Patanjali and yoga guru Ramdev against the Covid vaccination drive and modern systems of medicine.
