Can Ayurveda Cure All Diseases? SC Pulls Up Ramdev for Targeting Allopathy

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up Yoga Guru Ramdev for criticising allopathy and allopathic practitioners through advertisements against modern medicine. 

The apex court said the yoga expert needed to be restrained from abusing the doctors and other systems of treatment while posing a question to him, “What's the guarantee that ayurveda will cure all diseases?”

The top court issued a notice to Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd and also sought response from the Union Health Ministry and Ministry of Ayush on a plea of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) alleging a smear campaign against the vaccination drive and modern medicines.

"What happened to Baba Ramdev? Ultimately we respect him as he popularised Yoga. We all go for this. But, he should not criticise the other system. What is the guarantee that Ayurveda whatever system he is following will work? You see the type of advertisements accusing all the doctors as if they are killers or something. Huge advertisements (have been given),” a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said.

The bench, also comprising justices Hima Kohli and C T Ravikumar, said that the Yog Guru cannot “abuse the doctors and the systems (of treatment)..It is better to restrain him”.

The IMA counsel referred to several advertisements which allegedly projected the allopath and the doctors in poor light, saying these commercials say that the medical practitioners themselves are dying despite taking modern medicines.

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“They say that doctors were taking allopathy medicines but still succumbing to Covid. If this one goes unabated, then it will cause serious prejudice to us. Advertisements put in all newspapers claim 'complete cure' for Covid. This is also piggybacking on defaming and maligning the medical profession," the counsel appearing for the IMA said. 

 “Why give these huge advertisements saying doctors are killers? He cannot abuse the doctors and systems like this,” observed CJI NV Ramana.

The court will next hear the case likely in the last week of September.