India: SC closes contempt case against Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Patanjali Ayurved. Know why

India's Supreme Court on Tuesday (Aug 13) shut down contempt proceedings against yoga guru, Baba Ramdev and his aide, Acharya Balkrishna after they tendered unconditional apology and an undertaking. Both assured the court that their company, Patanjali Ayurved Limited, would refrain from issuing misleading advertisements and claims about its products.

A bench of justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta warned Patanjali that if the company relapsed by breaking any terms of the undertaking, the contempt case would be reopened.

The relief for Ramdev comes after the submission of apology affidavits, alongside the publication of apologies in multiple newspapers across the country.The bench initially expressed dissatisfaction at the apologies published in the newspapers by Patanjali. Itwas only after the rap by the court that it published improved apologies which wereaccepted.

In February, earlier this year, the court slapped an interim ban on ads of Patanjali for not adhering to the guidelines.

The court ruled that allopathy cannot be degraded/defamed in the eyes of the public like this. “You (Patanjali) cannot criticise any other method of treatment like allopathy,” it noted.

The judges also pulled up the Ministry of Ayush (Govt of India) for “sitting with its eyes closed".

SC's previous threat

Notably, the contempt case was filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) against Patanjali'sads attacking allopathy and claiming that its 'Coronil' medicine could cure COVID-19.

After the case reached the apex court, the judges threatened to impose apenalty of $120,000 on Patanjaliif it did not stop its practice of makingfalse and misleading claims in advertisements.

In 2022, the then Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana had also instructed theyoga guru to rein in his beliefs.

"What happened to Baba Ramdev? He can popularise his system, but why should he criticise other systems. We all respect him, he popularized yoga but he shouldn't criticize other systems. What is the guarantee that his system will work? He cannot refuse the doctor system. He must exercise restraint in abusing other systems," observed the former CJI.

Baba Ramdev is a popular figure in India. He founded Patanjali alongside Balkrishna in 2006 and since then, the company has transformed into a multi-billion dollar enterprise but has come under heavy scrutiny for its illegal marketing practices.

(With inputs from agencies)