The Supreme Court has issued a stern rebuke to yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna for their failure to heed contempt notices served upon them. The Court, meticulous in its scrutiny, expressed profound dissatisfaction with Patanjali's lackadaisical approach.

The bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah criticized the duo for blatantly violating the assurances they had given to the apex court regarding their advertisements.

The bench expressed its dismay at the gross violation of the undertaking made to the highest court of the land, emphasizing that Ramdev and Balkrishna should have ensured that the chain of command regarding their advertisements extended to every level of their organization. 

They pointed out the inadequacy of the explanation provided in an affidavit, where it was claimed that the controversial ads were approved by the media department without their knowledge. The justices dismissed this explanation, remarking that ignorance could not excuse their actions, particularly after they had given assurances to the court.

The bench also took issue with statements made in Patanjali's affidavit, which referred to the relevant law as "archaic." They emphasized that regardless of personal opinions on the law, it was incumbent upon all parties to abide by it, especially considering that the advertisements in question were found to be in violation of said law.

Furthermore, the bench considered the response submitted by the Union of India's licensing authority and directed it to file the same in response to the court's show cause notice.

The recent developments stem from Patanjali Ayurveda's filing of an unqualified apology before the Supreme Court for disseminating misleading advertisements. In their affidavit, submitted through Patanjali's Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna, the company pledged to refrain from such practices in the future, stating their intention to promote a healthier lifestyle through Ayurvedic products.

The Supreme Court's intervention came after Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna failed to respond to a show cause notice issued by the court regarding their misleading claims in advertisements for their medicines. This failure led to the court summoning them to appear personally.

The court's actions follow its decision on February 27th to ban Patanjali's medicine advertisements, citing misleading claims and a lack of empirical evidence to support their efficacy. This decision was prompted by a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), which alleged a smear campaign against COVID-19 vaccinations and modern medicine by Ramdev and his company.

Notably, this is not the first time Patanjali has been directed by the court to refrain from publishing false advertisements. A similar directive was issued in November of the previous year, following which Patanjali undertook not to publish misleading ads targeting modern medicines and vaccinations. However, the company's failure to abide by this undertaking has led to the current proceedings before the Supreme Court.

Case: Indian Medical Association & Anr vs. Union of India and Ors.