Patanjali ad case: SC gives Baba Ramdev, Balkrishna one-week time to offer public apology

Apex court to next hear the case on April 23

PTI & Agencies, April 16, 2024 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted a week’s time for Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Managing Director Balkrishna to take steps to redeem themselves in the misleading advertisement case. Ramdev and Balkrishna said in Court that they are ready to tender unconditional public apology.

Both Ramdev and Balkrishna appeared in the apex court on Tuesday. Hearing the case, Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah also interacted with Ramdev. The apex court asked Ramdev and Balkrishna, both of whom were present in the court, to come forward for an interaction with the bench. "They should feel they have a connect with the court," the bench said. 

"I am willing to give a public apology," senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Ramdev and Balkrishna, told the bench. Ramdev and Balkrishna have tendered an "unconditional and unqualified apology" before the apex court over advertisements issued by the firm making tall claims about the medicinal efficacy of its products.

In two separate affidavits filed in the court, Ramdev and Balkrishna have tendered an unqualified apology for the "breach of the statement" recorded in the November 21 last year order of the apex court. The bench said they are not letting them off the hook yet and granted a week's time to redeem themselves.

In the November 21, 2023 order, the top court had noted that counsel representing Patanjali Ayurved had assured it that "henceforth there shall not be any violation of any law(s), especially relating to advertising or branding of products manufactured and marketed by it and, further, that no casual statements claiming medicinal efficacy or against any system of medicine will be released to the media in any form". The top court had said Patanjali Ayurved Ltd is "bound down to such assurance".

The non-observance of the specific assurance and the subsequent media statements irked the apex court, which later issued a notice to them to explain why contempt proceedings be not initiated against them.