"This is absolute defiance": Supreme Court Raps Ramdev and Balkrishna Over Patanjali's Misleading Ads Case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday strongly reprimanded Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, the co-founders of Patanjali Ayurved, for their "absolute defiance" to submit proper affidavits and "breaking every barrier" regarding the company's misleading advertisements.

The apex court noted that compliance with court orders is essential. "Not just the Supreme Court, every order passed by the courts across this country has to be respected ... this is absolute defiance,” observed the bench comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah. “You have to abide by undertaking given to court and you have broken every barrier,” said the apex court to Yoga Guru Ramdev and the Patanjali MD, who were present in person. The Court also expressed dissatisfaction with Patanjali's earlier apology, deeming it insufficient.

The Supreme Court criticized Patanjali's advertisements as being in clear violation of the law of the land and warned of impending action. Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah rejected Patanjali's previous apology, stating that it lacked sincerity and did not fully adhere to the court's directives. Ramdev's lawyer expressed willingness for both Ramdev and Balakrishna to personally apologize in court, seeking forgiveness for their actions. The court granted them one final opportunity to submit their affidavits within a week. Ramdev and Balakrishna were instructed to appear in court on April 10 for the next hearing.

The central government's alleged inaction was also questioned by the Supreme Court. The apex court questioned why the center “chose to keep its eyes shut when Patanjali was going to town saying there was no remedy for Covid in allopathy”.

The legal proceedings stemmed from a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in November last year. The IMA alleged a smear campaign by Ramdev and Patanjali against the COVID vaccination drive and modern medicine and highlighted that the company's advertisements portrayed allopathic doctors in a negative light, alleging that such messaging misled the public.

The Court had then pulled up Patanjali and the company had pledged to the Supreme Court on November 21, 2023, that it would strictly adhere to all laws, particularly those governing advertising and product branding. The company assured Justice Hima Kohli's bench that it would refrain from making any unsubstantiated claims regarding the medicinal effectiveness of its products or disparaging remarks against any medical system.

Despite these assurances, the Supreme found the company in violation of its order. In response to Patanjali's failure to address the court's directives, the apex court ordered Ramdev and Balkrishna to appear before it on March 19.​