The Supreme Court on Monday stressed the need for a mechanism to enable people to lodge complaints against misleading advertisements promising magical cures for ailments.

“We will pass comprehensive directions. We will specifically direct the states that a machinery must be set up to prosecute them… there must be some grievance redress mechanism… there should be some dedicated telephone lines so that people can file a complaint whenever they feel such advertisements are being made," a bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan observed.

The apex court was dealing with a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which had last year dragged yoga practitioner Ramdev, his aide Balakrishna and Patanjali Ayurveda to court for allegedly claiming that their herbal products could cure diabetes and respiratory problems.

The bench also directed the states and Union Territories to strictly comply with its earlier directions to implement Rule 170 of the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945, aimed at banning ads on ayurvedic, unani and sidda medicines.

The Supreme Court had on August 27 last year stayed a notification issued by the Ayush ministry, which omitted Rule 170 of the 1945 Act, as it contradicted a previous apex court order in connection with the IMA's petition against Patanjali.

At the last hearing on January 15, the top court had warned of contempt proceedings against states that failed to take action against drug makers who made misleading claims in ads.

The bench had passed the directive after examining a report submitted by amicus curiae Shadan Farasat that revealed laxity on the part of several states and UTs in complying with the provisions of the Act.