On Tuesday, the Supreme Court dismissed a contempt case involving Swami Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved’s Managing Director (MD), Acharya Balakrishna, concerning misleading advertisements. The court accepted their unconditional apology and a commitment from Patanjali to avoid issuing such advertisements in the future.
Ramdev and Balakrishna had repeatedly expressed their apologies before the court and published them in various newspapers nationwide. Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta issued a strong warning that the contempt case could be reopened if they violate the terms of their commitment in the future.
The contempt proceedings were initiated after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) filed a petition against Ramdev and Balakrishna, accusing them of making false claims about the effectiveness and benefits of their products. IMA challenged Patanjali’s advertisements that criticized allopathy and claimed to cure specific diseases.
After being reprimanded by the Supreme Court, Patanjali assured in November 2023 that it would cease such advertisements. Despite this assurance, the Court observed that misleading advertisements continued, leading to a contempt notice being issued to Patanjali and its MD in February.
