In a major relief to Patanjali Ayurved, the Supreme Court has closed the contempt proceedings pending against the Company, its Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna, and Co-founder Baba Ramdev concerning the publication of misleading medical advertisements, which were said to be in violation of a court undertaking.
However, the Court issued a firm warning that any future actions by Patanjali Ayurved violating its orders, similar to previous infractions, would prompt the Court to reopen the proceedings.
Ramdev and Acharya had previously been reprimanded by the Supreme Court for disseminating misleading advertisements that contradicted evidence-based medicine. They were found to have violated their statement that they would not broadcast or publish such misleading ads.
A bench comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, which had reserved orders on May 14, has now delivered its judgment.
As per reports, Justice Kohli, who read out the judgment, stated that the proceedings are being concluded following the acceptance of the apology submitted by the parties. This decision considers the efforts made by the parties to rectify their contemptuous conduct.
Earlier, the Company and its founders had sought an apology from the Supreme Court for their breach. Additionally, they published apologies in various newspapers.
The contempt case originated from a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association against Patanjali Ayurved‘s advertisements, which criticised allopathy and claimed to cure certain diseases. Following a reprimand from the Supreme Court, Patanjali assured in November 2023 that it would cease such advertisements.
Observing that misleading advertisements persisted, the Court issued a contempt notice to Patanjali and its Managing Director in February. In March, after no reply was filed to the notice, the Court ordered the personal appearance of Balkrishna and Ramdev, who had participated in the press conferences and advertisements published after the given undertaking.
