India’s Supreme Court orders yoga guru Ramdev to appear in court in misleading ads case

India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday (Mar 19) ordered Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev and his close aide Acharya Balkrishna to personally appear before the court in a case over misleading advertisements for Patanjali Ayurved. A bench of justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah issued the order following the failure of the company and the duo to file replies to the court’s earlier notices that asked why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them.

Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna are co-owners of Patanjali. Balkrishna also serves as the CEO of the company.

Earlier on February 27, the apex court had slapped an interim ban on ads of Patanjali Ayurved's medicines. The court observed the company can’t make claims that their medicines would treat ailments specified in the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act.

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"Why haven't you filed your response yet? We will ask the managing director to appear in the court during the next hearing," the court asked on Tuesday. It also stated that the pair was prima facie in violation of Sections 3 and 4 of the Drugs and Remedies Act, which deal with misleading ads of medicines.

Case brought by Indian Medical Association (IMA)

The bench was hearing the case filed by the Indian Medical Association against an alleged smear campaign by Baba Ramdev against COVID-19 vaccines and modern medicine (allopathy).

Watch:Gravitas: Patanjali snubbed by Supreme Court for false advertising

During the previous hearing, the court had also pulled up the union government for “sitting with its eyes closed” over the matter.

“You (Union government) wait for two years when the Act says this is prohibited. The government is sitting with its eyes closed,” the court said.

(With inputs from agencies)