Sukhmani Kooner, Pune
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued a notice of contempt of court (an offense against authority, justice, and dignity of court) against Baba Ramdev (founder and brand ambassador for Patanjali Ayurved) and Acharya Balkrishna (chairman of Patanjali Ayurved).
Patanjali Ayurved, founded in 2006, is an Indian multinational conglomerate holding company named after an ancient sage who practiced yoga. The company specialises in personal care, cosmetics, medicine, and food products, and it also has a clothing store. Since Patanjali has violated the court’s orders against the portrayal of misleading claims in its product advertisements, the conglomerate is facing restrictions on advertising its medical products.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) filed a plea in the SC regarding Patanjali spreading misinformation on allopathy. An advocate representing the IMA, PS Patwalia, pointed out that Patanjali had advertised completely curing diabetes and asthma by incorporating yoga.
In August 2023, the apex court issued notices to the Union Health Ministry, Patanjali Ayurved Ltd., and the Ministry of Ayush after the IMA filed a plea with the court. In November 2023, a petition was filed by the IMA regarding Patanjali’s slander against Covid-19 vaccination. They claimed their campaign was damaging the reputation of allopathy. At that time, the judges, Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, had urged the government to come up with solutions in order to tackle the spread of misinformation as well as devise a way to deal with misleading ads. On hearing the case, Justice Amanullah spoke about zero tolerance for misleading advertisements.
The hearing concluded with the courts warning Patanjali to halt its false ads; otherwise, they would be slapped with fines up to Rs. 1 crore on every product in whose name any false claim was made that it could cure that disease.
Baba Ramdev, the yoga guru, is facing charges under Sections 188, 269, and 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A multitude of criminal cases were filed against Baba over his posts and remarks against the use of allopathy during the Covid-19 pandemic. Baba has appealed to the court to withdraw any cases against him. The next hearing in the case is on March 15.