SUPREME COURT REPRIMANDS BABA RAMDEV AND ACHARYA BALKISHAN. DIRECTS TO PUBLISH BIGGER SIZE ADVERTISEMENTS SEEKING APOLOGY

The Supreme Court has today strongly reprimanded the Patanjali Yoga Guru Ramdev and his disciple n MD, Patanjali Acharya Ramdev during the hearing on the misleading propaganda through advertisements claiming to be the sole curer ( healer) of the critical illnesses through their herbal medicines under Patanjali brand name and publishing advertisement of very small size seeking apologies as compared to their earlier advertisements propagating themselves and their medicines as the sole healer of critical illnesses.

One of the justices of the two judge bench Hima Kohli said that the advertisement of the size of the earlier advertisements seeking apologies should be published, in all newspapers, fixing the next date of hearing for April 30.

During the hearing the counsel of Ramdev and Acharya Balkishan said that they have published advertisements seeking apologies spending Rs.10 lakhs to which justice Hima Kohli replied : We are not concerned. You are directed to publish bigger advertisements as were published earlier by Patanjali claiming to the sole healer of BP and diabetes diseases from the roots to which Ramdev agreed to follow the dictum of the court.

On the request of Mukul Rohtagi that they have already published the advertisements seeking apologies Justice Hima Kohli said they have no time to see the bundles as this should have been done earlier.

Another justice of the two judge bench justice Amanullah Ahsannudin asked where have these advertisements been published to which Mukul Rohtagi replied in 67 newspapers worth Rs.10 lakhs.

During arguments the two judge bench said that we have received an application in which there is demand for levying a huge penalty against Indian Medical Association which has filed the case against Patanjali. To this Mukul Rohtagi, the counsel for Patanjali said that he has nothing to do with this petition. We are doubtful whether this is a proxy petition said the bench adding that let us hear this petition and come to the conclusion whether we can fix penalty on IMA or to what extent ?

The SC bench also took the health ministry to task for making necessary amendments in the rules to take action for spreading baseless or misguiding rumours or information referring to section 170 being revoked.

During the hearing Justice Amanullah Ahsannudin asked about a news being telecast in a channel also with the Patanjali advertisement.

The two judge SC bench further added that IMA has said that they can also include the Consumer Act in the petition.

Objecting to exhibiting the Patanjali advertisement while showing the news about the proceedings in Supreme Court, the two judge bench said that the government will have to clarify as to what action it has initiated by directing the Advertisement Council to counter the violation by Patanjali and the channel showing it.

The SC said that we are watching everything, it is not only the question of Patanjali but other such companies as well who are showing their misleading advertisements on TVs to misguide people. This needs to be dealt with severely said the two judge bench.

It may be recalled that the Indian Medical Association had filed a petition in Supreme Court against Patanjali and its owners Yoga Guru Ramdev and its managing Director Acharya Balkishan for publishing and telecasting the advertisements propagating that its medicines Coronil n other medicines claiming to wipe out Covid, BP diseases and diabetes from the roots belying the allopathic medicines.

The SC has taken a very serious view of these advertisements misguiding and befooling countrymen allegedly accusing Patanjali and its owners Ramdev n Acharya Balkishan as to why the defamation charges should not be filed against them for misguiding countrymen and breaching the SC directions.

The Yoga Guru Ramdev and Acharya Balkishan have sought written apologies from the court but the two judge bench had not considered these apologies as sufficient directing them to publish advertisements seeking apologies of the size of their earlier advertisements in various leading newspapers holding the small advertisements as non satisfactory.