During the previous hearing last week, the Supreme Court strongly criticized the founders of Patanjali. Additionally, it reprimanded the Uttarakhand government for not taking action against the Haridwar-based company.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court is hearing a contempt action against Patanjali Ayurved for their misleading advertisements and claims of curing COVID-19. Present in the courtroom are yoga teacher Ramdev and his assistant Balkrishna. During the prior hearing held last week, the court had imposed severe sanctions on the founders of Patanjali. It also criticised the Uttarakhand government for doing little to stop the company situated in Haridwar.
This morning, the bench comprising Justice Hima Kohli and Justice A. Amanullah summoned the founders of Patanjali and acknowledged their substantial contributions to yoga. The bench expressed respect for their efforts in advancing the practice of yoga.
Ramdev and Balkrishna had already submitted two sets of apologies, but the court rejected them both because the letters were sent to the media first. The contemnors did not think it appropriate to submit the affidavits until the case was before the court. Evidently, they value publicity “Last week, Justice Hima Kohli stated.
Justice A. Amanullah, also part of the bench, questioned whether the apology was genuine. He emphasized that merely offering an apology is insufficient. Justice A. Amanullah insisted that there should be repercussions for disobeying the court’s order.
The problem began during the time of Covid when Patanjali introduced Coronil, a medication that Ramdev referred to as the “first evidence-based medicine for COVID-19” in 2021. The “blatant lie” that Coronil was certified by the WHO was denounced by the Indian Medical Association.
Following this, a video of Ramdev surfaced where he referred to allopathy as a “stupid and bankrupt science” and claimed that no modern medicine was effectively treating Covid. In response, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) issued a legal notice to Ramdev, demanding an apology and retraction of his statements. Patanjali Yogpeeth, in its response, stated that Ramdev was reading from a forwarded WhatsApp message and harbored no animosity towards modern science.
After Patanjali ran an advertisement in newspapers with the phrase “Misconceptions Spread By Allopathy: Save Yourself And The Country From The Misconceptions Spread By Pharma And Medical Industry,” IMA filed a petition against the company in August 2022. The advertisement said that Patanjali medications had healed patients of asthma, diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, high blood pressure, thyroid, and arthritis.
The doctors’ body highlighted the ongoing dissemination of misinformation, which they described as continuous, systematic, and relentless. They also pointed out that these actions coincide with Patanjali’s attempts to make false assertions about curing specific illnesses through the use of Patanjali products.
On November 21, 2023, the Supreme Court cautioned Patanjali against asserting that its products have the ability to fully cure conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure. The court warned of imposing substantial fines if such claims persisted.
Court records state that Patanjali’s lawyer then gave an assurance that “henceforth, there shall not be any violation of any of the laws, especially relating to advertisement and branding of products”.
On January 15 of this year, the Supreme Court received an anonymous letter addressed to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, with copies sent to Justice Kohli and Justice Amanullah. The letter raised concerns about misleading advertisements still being circulated by Patanjali. Additionally, the counsel for the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Senior Advocate PS Patwalia, presented to the court newspaper advertisements that were published after the Supreme Court’s warning on November 21, 2023. They also provided a transcript of a press conference held by Ramdev and Balkrishna immediately following the court’s hearing.
The Supreme Court requested a response from the company regarding why contempt proceedings should not be initiated. In stern comments, the court expressed concern that the nation was being misled and criticized the government for not taking action despite being aware of the situation.
The court was informed on March 19 that Patanjali had failed to submit the response to the contempt notice. It then requested an in-person appearance from Ramdev and Balkrishna. During their hearing on April 2, the court severely criticized Ramdev and Balkrishna for their “absolute defiance” in failing to file the required affidavits on the deceptive marketing. They were ordered to be “ready for action” by the court.
The Supreme Court dismissed their apology, stating that it did not convince the court and seemed more like a superficial gesture. They instructed Patanjali to submit affidavits within a week.
On April 10, the Supreme Court ignored this series of apologies, noting that they had been shared to the media beforehand.
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