Supreme Court Reserves Order on Contempt Notice to Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved

The Supreme Court has reserved its order on the contempt notice issued to yoga guru Ramdev, his aide Balkrishna, and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd in the misleading advertisements case. A Bench comprising Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah noted that the firm’s counsel sought time to file an affidavit indicating steps taken to recall the advertisements of Patanjali products whose licenses have been suspended.

The court directed the affidavit to be filed within three weeks. Meanwhile, Indian Medical Association (IMA) president R.V. Asokan unconditionally apologized to the Bench. However, the court expressed reluctance to accept the apology at this stage. The case, filed in 2022 by the IMA, alleges a smear campaign by Patanjali against the Covid vaccination drive and modern systems of medicine.