Country Being Taken For A Ride: Supreme Court On Ramdev’s Patanjali

Photo: divyayoga.com

NEW DELHI, (IANS) – The Supreme Court on February 27 issued a contempt notice to Patanjali Ayurved’s Managing Director Acharya Balakrishna over the continued publication of misleading advertisements. It also chastised the Narendra Modi government for not taking action.

Observing that Patanjali has violated the undertaking given to the court in November last year, a bench headed by Justice Hima Kohli asked the ayurvedic company to not issue any misleading advertisement or statement till the next date of listing.

“The entire country is being taken for a ride! You (the union government) wait for two years when the Act says this is prohibited. The government is sitting with its eyes closed,” the court said.

The bench was hearing a plea filed by the Indian Medical Association seeking action against Patanjali. The matter will be heard next on March 19.

Patanjali had earlier assured the top court that it would not make any causal statements claiming the medicinal efficacy of its product or advertise or brand them in violation of the law. It also undertook that the company will not release any statement against any system of medicine to the media in any form.

Multiple FIRs were filed against yoga guru and Patanjali founder Baba Ramdev across several states over his controversial comments against allopathic treatment of Covid-19. In a video, Ramdev had said: “More people have died due to allopathic medicines than due to lack of medical oxygen or shortage of beds.”

He withdrew his comments the next day after receiving a strongly worded letter from then Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who termed his remarks as “inappropriate”.