Supreme Court dismisses contempt case against Ramdev for misleading Patanjali ads
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the contempt proceedings against yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishna after they agreed to cease issuing misleading advertisements and claims about Patanjali Ayurved products.
The Supreme Court, led by Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, cautioned that any future violations would be met with severe penalties. The contempt notice, which had been reserved since May 14, came following a plea by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) accusing Patanjali of undermining the Covid vaccination effort and modern medicine.
Following a reprimand in November 2023, Patanjali had committed to halting such misleading ads. Despite this, the court noted that misleading advertisements persisted, prompting the issuance of contempt notices in February. The court also required the personal appearance of Balkrishna and Baba Ramdev after a response to the notice was not submitted.
On April 16, Ramdev and Balkrishna appeared in court and issued an unconditional apology for their misleading ads and negative remarks about allopathic medicine. The court criticised Acharya Balakrishna for the inadequate apology published by Patanjali, leading to a revised apology in newspapers that properly acknowledged Ramdev and Balkrishna.
- With inputs from agencies
