The Supreme Court came down heavily on Uttarakhand government for not taking action against Baba Ramdev's Patanjali for misleading ads, and also rejected the affidavits of Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd MD Acharya Balkrishna tendering apology.
A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, while hearing the matter, slammed the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority for not taking action against Patanjali Ayurved. “You said thrice that the license will be cancelled, but for two years you did nothing,” the bench told the joint director of the SLA.
The apex court had also questioned the Union government's alleged inaction over Patanjali's tall claims about the efficacy of its products and denigrating allopathy during the Covid peak and had asked why the government chose to keep its "eyes shut".
“Apology is on paper,” the bench remarked on the affidavits by Ramdev and Balkrishna. “Their back is against the wall. We decline to accept this, we consider it a deliberate violation of undertaking.”
The apex court observed that after notices to show cause were issued to them and they were directed to present themselves before it, Ramdev and Balkrishna "attempted to wriggle out" of the situation where personal presence was warranted. It is "most unacceptable", the court said.
Reproaching the SLA, the top court said, "We are appalled to note that except for pushing the files, the State Licensing Authority did nothing and was in "deep slumber" over the issue for four-five years. It asked the state's officer present on behalf of the Authority to explain the reasons for inaction.
The apex court is hearing a plea filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) alleging a smear campaign against the vaccination drive and modern medicines.
Earlier yesterday, Yoga guru Ramdev and managing director of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd Acharya Balkrishna had tendered "unconditional and unqualified apology" before the Supreme Court.
In two separate affidavits filed in the apex court, Ramdev and Balkrishna tendered unqualified apology for the "breach of the statement" recorded in the November 21 last year order of the apex court.
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 notice to them to show cause as to why contempt proceedings be not initiated against them.
Ramdev also tendered unconditional apology for the press conference held on November 22 last year and undertook not to make any public statements which may amount to breach of the undertaking given before the court.
Similarly, Balkrishna also tendered an unconditional apology for the breach of the statement recorded in the apex court's November 21 last year order.
On April 2, the top court had come down hard on Ramdev and Balkrishna and rejected their apology as "lip service".
On March 19, the court had 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.
