There seems to be no end to the on-going battle between Baba Ramdev-led Patanjali Ayurved and Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) with the latter directing the former to withdraw or modify its advertisements for Patanjali Honey as they are “misleading”.
The ASCI also claimed that the purity claims made by Patanjali were “unsubstantiated”, reports Economic Times.
The advertising regulator body has alleged that Patanjali’s claim of “Patanjali honey – purity ki Double Guarantee” was not substantiated and was misleading. Patanjali in its ads has reportedly claimed that it conducts more than 100 tests on Patanjali Honey.
ASCI has reportedly taken this step after Dabur India filed a complaint in July.
Patanjali however refused to take it lying down and have taken the ASCI to court, says the ET report.
Last month, Baba Ramdev announced that he would sue the self-regulatory body for defamation and termed the ASCI as an “unconstitutional body”, reports Live Mint.
“In the last few weeks we have received 27 notices from ASCI. Its actions are nothing but a collective conspiracy by some multinational companies, who has a great deal of influence on ASCI,” Ramdev had said in August this year.
The advertising watchdog has pulled up Patanjali several times in the past for its “misleading” ad campaigns. The ASCI had also said in July that Patanjali Ayurved “unfairly denigrates” products of its rivals in the advertisements.
The Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) had found that Patanjalis claim for its Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil that rival makers are selling mustard oil “adulterated with oil made by solvent extraction process with neurotoxin containing Hexane”, was not substantiated.
Besides, Patanjali also failed to substantiate its claims for Patanjali Fruit Juice, where it had claimed rival brands as “expensive juices containing less pulp”.
Similarly, it also failed to substantiate its claims in the ad for cattle feed Patanjali Dugdhamrut as “other companies mix 3 to 4 per cent urea and other non-edible things in their cattle feed”.
(Feature image source: PTI)