A hoarding inside a Patanjali store features Baba Ramdev.
The Supreme Court has recently closed contempt proceedings against yoga guru Baba Ramdev, his associate Acharya Balkrishna, and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. This decision follows their failure to adhere to a court directive that prohibited misleading advertisements concerning their herbal products, which contravenes the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act.
A bench comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah accepted the unconditional apology submitted by the parties involved, which was also published in various print media.
The court had reserved judgment on the case on May 14 after reviewing original newspaper cuttings of the public apologies issued by Ramdev, Balkrishna, and Patanjali.
In light of the Supreme Court’s scrutiny, the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority took action to suspend the manufacturing of 14 Patanjali products.
The court deemed the misleading advertisements endorsed by Patanjali, which claimed to cure conditions ranging from diabetes and obesity to liver dysfunction and COVID-19 during the pandemic, as “deliberate and willful violations” of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act of 1954.
Contempt proceedings against Patanjali and Balkrishna began on February 27 due to breaches of a prior undertaking made in November 2023 that committed them to refrain from offending advertisements.
On November 21, the Supreme Court instructed the company to avoid making any dubious claims regarding the efficacy of their medicinal products in both print and electronic media, as well as to refrain from disparaging other medical disciplines, such as allopathy. However, the day following this directive, Ramdev conducted a press conference, which raised further concerns.
