Yoga guru Baba Ramdev tendered an unconditional apology to the Supreme Court for not complying with its orders in the misleading advertisement case on Tuesday, but the Apex Court termed it a `mere lip service’.
It tore into their defence for putting out misleading advertisements, rejecting the apology from yoga guru Ramdev and the firm’s managing director Acharya Balkrishna warned them against perjury.
The bench, headed by Justice Hima Kohli, also questioned the Centre’s alleged inaction over Patanjali’s tall claims about the efficacy of its products and denigrating allopathy during the Covid peak and asked why the government chose to keep its “eyes shut”.
Both Ramdev and Balkrishna were present in court in connection with show cause notices on why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them. The bench, also comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, posted the matter for hearing on April 10 and said Ramdev and Balkrishna have to appear again.
On March 19, the apex court directed Ramdev and Balkrishna to appear before it after taking exception to the company’s failure to respond to the notice issued in the case relating to advertisements of the firm’s products and their medicinal efficacy.
The top court had said it deemed it appropriate to issue a show cause notice to Ramdev as the advertisements issued by Patanjali, which were in the teeth of the undertaking given to the court on November 21, 2023 reflect an endorsement by him.
“You have to abide by the undertaking given to court and you have broken every barrier,” the bench said. Sternly reprimanding Ramdev and his number two Balkrishna, Justice Kohli said the court was taking their apology with a “sack full of salt”.
The bench also warned Patanjali, Ramdev and Balkrishna that it would take note of “perjury” as certain documents, which were said to be attached with other papers, were created later on. “This is a clear case of perjury. We are not closing the doors on you but we are telling all that we have noted,” the bench said.
The bench observed that advertisements issued by Patanjali are in the “teeth of law” of the land. Last month, Balkrishna had tendered an unqualified apology to the apex court for advertising the herbal products of the firm claiming their medicinal efficacy in treating several serious diseases and running down other systems of medicine.
