The Supreme Court on Tuesday closed the contempt proceedings initiated against Patanjali Ayurved founder Baba Ramdev and its Managing Director Acharya Balakrishna in the misleading advertisements case.
The Bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah pronounced the verdict in open court today.
The Apex Court discharged the contempt notice issued to the duo and said that it was accepting the unconditional apology tendered by them. The Bench further warned them not to violate the Court’s orders in future.
The Bench had reserved its order in the contempt case on May 14.
Earlier on April 23, the Apex Court had raised concerns about the size of the public apology published by Patanjali. The company then issued a larger public apology.
The top court of the country had granted Ramdev, Balkrishna and Patanjali one week to issue a public apology on April 16, however, it did not expressly mention the same in the order.
The Bench had further directed the duo to be present in person on the next date of hearing.
On April 10, the Apex Court refused to accept the second Affidavit tendering an unconditional apology filed by Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishna over Patanjali Ayurved’s alleged ‘misleading’ advertisements.
The Bench further pulled up the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority for not taking action against Patanjali Ayurved for publishing misleading advertisements.
Appearing for the State Licensing Authority, Senior Counsel Dhruv Mehta submitted that it acted under bona fide impression regarding an order passed by the Bombay High Court about the regulation under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954.
The Apex Court replied that it would ‘rip apart’ the authority.
On April 2, the Bench directed both Ramdev and Balakrishna to remain present before it on the next date. The Bench also granted them one last opportunity to file their affidavits within a week.
On March 19, the Court had directed Ramdev and Balakrishna to appear before it for the first time for not replying to the show cause notice issued to them in contempt proceedings.
On February 27, the Court came down heavily on Patanjali Ayurveda conglomerate for persistently disseminating alleged misleading claims and advertisements targeting modern systems of medicine and restrained it from advertising or branding some of the products manufactured and marketed by it that were meant to address the ailments/diseases/conditions mentioned under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954 and the Rules.
The Bench further expressed dissatisfaction with Patanjali Ayurved’s then ongoing promotion of such misleading information, despite giving an assurance in November 2023.
On earlier occasions, the Court had orally told Senior Advocate PS Patwalia that it was focused on the cause and any individual.
Senior Advocate Sajan Poovayya had requested that the part of the order where the Court said that the issue was confined to Patanjali be corrected to say that the matter was not confined to Patanjali. Justice Amanullah said that Patanjali’s case would be used as a test case, something to begin with for the present and that the exercise would not be limited to Patanjali.
The Bench had previously expressed its reluctance to turn the matter into a debate between Allopathy and Ayurveda.