Misleading ads: SC summons Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and J&K chief secretaries
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday slammed several states, including Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and J&K, summoning their chief secretaries over the "failure" to act against illegal advertisements of Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani drugs.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said there was hardly any implementation of its orders.
The bench directed the chief secretaries to appear in court through video-conferencing to explain why these states were non-compliant.
Senior advocate Shadan Farasat, appearing as an amicus curiae, submitted most states accepted an apology and took undertakings while acquitting violators.
"As rightly submitted by the amicus curiae, the issue of illegal advertisements of Ayurvedic, Siddha or Unani drugs will be substantially taken care of, if all the states start implementing Rule 170 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 in its true letter and spirit. Notwithstanding several orders passed by this court, the states are non-compliant," said the bench.
The top court directed Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir to file affidavits, including the response on the enforcement of Rule 170.
"We grant time till end of this month to these states to file responses," it said and posted the matter on March 7.
The top court on August 27 last year stayed a notification issued by the Ministry of Ayush, which omitted Rule 170 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 that prohibits misleading advertisements of Ayurvedic, Siddha, and Unani drugs.
The court said the notification issued by the ministry was "in the teeth" of its May 7, 2024 order.
Clamping down on misleading advertisements, the apex court on May 7, 2024 directed that before an advertisement was permitted to be issued, a self-declaration should be obtained from the advertisers on the line of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994.
The Centre defended its August 2023 letter to states and union territories asking authorities not to initiate action against any entity for violating Rule 170.
The process of final gazette notification would take time and in order to avoid confusion among the various states and UT's licensing authorities and to prevent avoidable litigations, Ministry of Ayush via its August 29, 2023 letter directed all such licensing authorities not to take any action, the Centre's affidavit said.
The top court in May, 2024, questioned the Centre over the letter.
The apex court was hearing a plea 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.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
