Patanjali ads case: 'You are not so innocent': SC comes down heavily on Ramdev over misleading ads
New Delhi, April 16: The Supreme Court on Tuesday flayed yoga guru Ramdev, and said he was "not so innocent" as it strongly condemned his behaviour while hearing a contempt case against Patanjali Ayurved for misleading advertisements of the company's medicinal products. The court also censured Ramdev for his "irresponsible behaviour."
A two-Judge panel, comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, scheduled the next hearing for April 23. Yoga guru Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna were present in person during the hearing.
On April 10, the Supreme Court had rejected an "unconditional apology" from yoga guru Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, saying their actions amounted to "willful, deliberate and repeated violations" of its orders.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) filed the petition against Patanjali Ayurved. During the April 10 hearing, the same Bench harshly criticised Patanjali Ayurved for taking contempt of court proceedings lightly, stating that it was "not satisfied with anything said in the affidavit."
The court also questioned the Uttarakhand Government's licensing of Patanjali products and accused the state's licensing authority of merely acting as a "post office." Justice Amanullah warned the authority against using the term 'bona fide' to describe its officers, saying the court would not take the matter lightly and would "rip you apart."
- With inputs from agencies
