Patanjali Ayurved threatens to file suit against ad regulator

“We will file a suit against the ASCI. We will file the case in the court very soon. We are discussing the possibilities and will take action on this issue very soon,” said Ramdev here at a press conference while describing these notices as “love letters” from the ASCI.
However, he left the venue when posed with questions on certification of his toothpaste range, under brand name Dant Kanti.
Questioning the authority and jurisdiction of the ASCI, Ramdev said it was a body “formed by MNCs and they were spreading wrong messages about advertisements by Patanjali”.
“It is an illegal organisation and I will write a letter to the Government of India in this regard,” he said, adding that the ASCI was not a constitutional authority but a company only, which had been advising powers to its members”.
“They are sending love letters to us. This issue has even been raised in Parliament also,” he said.
He further said that various high courts in their orders had ruled that the ASCI had no constitutional authority.
In May, the ASCI upheld 10 complaints against Patanjali Ayurved for products such as Jeera Biscuit, Kacchi Ghani mustard oil, Kesh Kanti and Dant Kanti, among others.
The advertising regulator had earlier upheld six cases each against Patanjali in March and April 2016.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore had on August 2 informed Parliament that over 30 complaints against advertisements by Patanjali Ayurved Ltd were received between April 2015 and July 2016.
Patanjali is looking to open five food production units to meet growing demand.
“We will set up food production units in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Assam. Production at the Nagpur unit will start soon,” he said.
Production in most of them is slated to start by the end of 2016. — PTI