The Supreme Court criticized Indian Medical Association President RV Asokan’s apology for being illegible due to its small font size in a newspaper publication. The apology was issued in response to “damaging” statements he made during an interview.
A bench comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta directed Asokan’s counsel, Senior Advocate PS Patwalia, to submit physical copies of 20 editions of The Hindu newspaper within one week to verify the size and clarity of the published apology.
The Court remarked, “We will not budge until we see advertisements in physical form, show us the actual size…The excerpt of the apology filed before us is illegible in as much as the font is miniscule.”
On July 9, Asokan informed the Supreme Court that his unconditional apology had been published in various newspapers, following the Court’s disapproval of his comments. These comments were related to Patanjali Ayurved Ltd’s misleading advertisements case.
During a hearing on May 14, the bench questioned Asokan about his “damaging” remarks against the Court, stating, “You cannot sit on a couch giving an interview to the press and lampooning the court.” At that time, the Court had rejected his affidavit tendering an apology, indicating it was insufficient.
The Court’s displeasure was further fueled by Asokan’s comments, made a day before a scheduled hearing on the matter. The comments were brought to the Court’s attention by Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, which urged the Court to take judicial notice of Asokan’s statements.
In the April 29, ‘@4 Parliament Street,’ Asokan expressed that it was “unfortunate” that the Supreme Court had criticized the IMA and certain practices of private doctors.
