The Supreme Court has strongly criticized Patanjali Ayurved for its failure to address a notice regarding the dissemination of misleading advertisements, ordering yoga guru Ramdev to personally appear before it. Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah’s bench also summoned Patanjali’s managing director, Acharya Balkrishna.
Last month, the Supreme Court had rebuked Patanjali for apparently breaching its assurances regarding product quality and effectiveness, prompting a notice to the company and Balkrishna to explain why contempt proceedings shouldn’t be initiated. “Why haven’t you filed your response yet? We will ask the managing director to appear in court during the next hearing,” the court remarked.
The court’s order highlights the alleged violations by both Balkrishna under Sections 3 and 4 of the Drugs and Remedies Act, pertaining to misleading advertisements of medicinal products. Furthermore, a show cause notice was issued to Ramdev, co-founder of Patanjali, requiring him to justify why he shouldn’t face contempt charges.
Senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi, representing Patanjali Ayurved, contested this action, questioning Ramdev’s involvement. However, the court insisted on addressing the matter further at the next hearing.
“We had our hands tied earlier but not now. As an officer of the court, you (Mr Rohatgi) should know your position,” Justice Amanullah asserted.
The court was reviewing a petition by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which alleged a smear campaign by Patanjali against vaccination drives and modern medicine. On February 27, the court had issued a show cause notice to Patanjali and warned against making adverse statements about any medical system in the media. It also criticized the government for its inaction, stating they were turning a blind eye to the situation.
