13 august 2024 : On Tuesday, the Supreme Court concluded the contempt proceedings against yoga guru Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishna, accepting their commitments to refrain from disseminating misleading advertisements and claims concerning products from Patanjali Ayurved Ltd.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had filed a petition with the Supreme Court in 2022, addressing disparaging comments made by Ramdev and Patanjali regarding modern medicine. The petition highlighted that Patanjali’s advertisements, which promised miraculous cures for lifestyle diseases and other ailments, contravened the provisions of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act of 1954 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules of 1954.
The court had issued contempt notices to Ramdev and Balkrishna after the advertisements persisted in appearing in newspapers, despite an undertaking provided by the company in November of the previous year.
On August 6, the Supreme Court instructed IMA President Dr. RV Asokan to publish apologies in all major newspapers that featured his interview, which contained controversial remarks related to the hearing on misleading advertisements in the Supreme Court.
A bench comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta clarified that Asokan would personally bear the costs associated with this publication, rather than it being funded by the IMA. The court subsequently adjourned the case.
The court also expressed dissatisfaction with the nature of the apology submitted by Asokan in this matter.
Previously, Asokan’s attorney informed the court that an apology for his controversial remarks regarding the Patanjali hearing had been disseminated across various media platforms, including the IMA’s website, which featured a pop-up of the apology. The attorney also conveyed that the IMA president expressed regret and provided an unconditional apology for his statements, as reported by news agency ANI.
The court was addressing the IMA’s request to establish guidelines aimed at prohibiting false and misleading advertisements related to allopathy and modern medicine.
