India’s Supreme Court Rebukes Baba Ramdev For Misleading Ads

NEW DELHI, (IANS) – The Supreme Court on April 2 came down heavily on Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved’s Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna for filing improper versions of affidavits in response to the contempt notice it issued to the company over the continued publication of misleading advertisements.

The court observed that it would not accept the contention that Patanjali’s media department was not aware of the undertaking given to the Supreme Court in November last year.

Patanjali had earlier assured the top court that it would not make any casual statements claiming the medicinal efficacy of its products or advertise or brand them in violation of law and would not release any statement against any system of medicine to the media in any form.

Ramdev and Balkrishna were summoned after Patanjali did not reply to the contempt notice issued by the apex court.

During the hearing in the Supreme Court, the bench court said Patanjali appears to be guilty also of lying to the court which is a punishable offense. “You said documents have been attached, but the documents were created later on. This is a clear case of perjury,” Justice Kohli observed.

The Indian Medical Association has sought action against Patanjali for violation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 – which prohibits the advertisement of certain products for the treatment of specified diseases and disorders, including diabetes, heart diseases, high or low blood pressure and obesity.

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