You are not so innocent, Indian Supreme Court tells Patanjali in misleading ads case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (April 16) granted Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna one week to address the contempt charges after they offered a public apology. The court has instructed Ramdev and Balkrishna to attend the upcoming hearing on April 23.

Supreme Court told Balkrishna during the hearing, “You are not so innocent that you didn't know what we said in the earlier order.”

"We respect what you have done for yoga," the bench further said.

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Yoga guru Ramdev and Balkrishna appeared in the Supreme Court on Tuesday (April 16) for the contempt case against Patanjali Ayurved regarding its misleading ads and claims about Covid cures.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi told the Supreme Court that Ramdev is willing to make a public apology.

Justice Hima Kohli said the court wants to hear what Ramdev and Balkrishna have to say and asked them to come forward.

"I would like to say that I offer an unconditional, unqualified apology for whatever mistake we made," Ramdev to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court then granted a week to Ramdev and Balkrishna Acharya to take steps to redeem themselves of the alleged contempt after their lawyers offered to issue a public apology for misleading advertisements.

Patanjali ads case

It started in 2021, when Patanjali launched a drug, Coronil and Ramdev described it as the first evidence-based medicine for COVID-19. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) spoke out against the blatant lie.

Ramdev, in a video was heard saying that allopathy was a stupid and bankrupt science.The IMA sent a legal notice to Ramdev and sought an apology and withdrawal of statements.

In August 2022, IMA filed a petition against Patanjali after it published an advertisement in newspapers titled 'Misconceptions Spread By Allopathy'. The Patanjali ad claimed drugs used by them had cured people of diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid, liver cirrhosis, arthritis and asthma.

In November 2023, the Supreme Court warned Patanjali against claims that its products can completely cure ailments and also sought a reply from the company for such misleading ads.

On March 19, the court came down heavily on Ramdev and Balkrishna for not filing the reply to the contempt notice. It then asked Ramdev and Balkrishna to appear in person.

Supreme Court rejected Patanjali's apology after the court noted that they were sent to the media first.

(With inputs from agencies)