Supreme Court blasts Baba Ramdev over apology affidavit

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on Baba Ramdev for violating its directives on misleading advertisements of Patanjali’s medicinal products even as the yoga guru, who was present in court, tendered an unconditional apology.

Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved managing director Acharya Balkrishna were directed to appear in person in the Supreme Court in the contempt proceedings related to the misleading advertisements case.

The court, however, called it “lip service” and said that Patanjali “owes an apology to the whole nation” for their misleading claims. “You have broken every barrier… Now you say that you are sorry,” the court said.

The Supreme Court also pulled up the Centre. “Wondering why the Union chose to keep its eyes shut when Patanjali was going to town saying there was no remedies for Covid in allopathy,” the court said.

The Supreme Court granted a “last opportunity” to Baba Ramdev and Balkrishna, asking them to file fresh affidavits within a week.

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The court also warned Ramdev and Balkrishna of perjury charges while noting that the documents submitted with the affidavit by Patanjali were created later on. “This is a clear case of perjury. We are not closing the doors on you, but we are telling you all that we have noted,” the court further said.

In the last hearing, the Supreme Court had pulled up Patanjali for failure in filing replies to the court’s notices on why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for prima facie violating the undertaking given to the court.

The top court had also directed Patanjali to stop all advertisements of its products that it claimed to treat ailments and disorders specified in the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.