SC closes contempt case against Patanjali's Ramdev & Balkrishna over misleading ads

The Supreme Court has closed the contempt case against Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna after they agreed to stop issuing misleading advertisements for Patanjali Ayurved products. The case originated from allegations that Patanjali ran a smear campaign against modern medicine, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ramdev and Balkrishna apologised for their actions, and the court accepted their apologies but issued a stern warning against any future violations.

In May, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) filed a contempt case against Patanjali, Ramdev, and Balkrishna, accusing them of promoting Patanjali’s products as alternatives to allopathic treatments and COVID-19 vaccines. During the hearing, the Supreme Court emphasised Ramdev’s influence and urged him to use it responsibly, separating his contributions to yoga from his promotion of Patanjali products.

The court instructed Patanjali to file affidavits within three weeks, detailing the steps taken to recall misleading ads, and confirmed that the sale of banned products had stopped. The contempt case was part of a larger legal battle between Patanjali and various medical associations, who sued Ramdev in 2021 for undermining public trust in allopathic treatments during the pandemic.

The Delhi High Court had earlier ordered Ramdev and Patanjali to remove statements that disparaged allopathic medicine and promoted their product Coronil as a COVID-19 cure. The court also directed them to issue apologies as prominent as the original misleading ads.