The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, hit out at yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved for reneging on the undertaking given in the court by the company to not make misleading advertisements about the efficacy of its products.
Coming down heavily on the company co-founded by yoga guru baba Ramdev, the court observed that it is taking "the entire country is being taken for a ride" even as the government is "sitting with its eyes closed".
A bench of justices Hima Kohli and A. Amanullah issued a notice to Patanjali Ayurved and its managing director Acharya Balkrishna, asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them. The apex court bench was hearing a plea filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) that alleged that Ramdev and his company had launched a smear campaign against the Covid-19 vaccination drive and evidence-based medicine.
The bench cautioned Patanjali Ayurved and its officers from making any statements adverse to any system of medicine as they said in their undertaking before the court earlier.
In November, the counsel representing the company had assured the Supreme Court that henceforth there shall not be any violation of law, especially relating to advertising or branding of products. The company had also assured that it would not make any casual statements claiming the medicinal efficacy of Patanjali products or against any system of medicine.
During the hearing, the IMA also raised concerns over the misleading claims made by Ramdev regarding medication for blood pressure. "He held a press conference the very next day after the last order," the court was informed.
—With agency inputs
