The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected unconditional apologies submitted by yoga guru Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved managing director Balkrishna over misleading advertisements for their products. The court accused them of attempting to mislead the court and said their apology was "insincere."
The judges noted that the affidavits containing the apologies were sent to the media before being filed in court. They called this a "deliberate violation" of an undertaking Patanjali made to the court in November 2023. That undertaking assured the court that Patanjali would not make any misleading claims about their products.
The court also criticized the State Licensing Authority for inaction regarding the misleading advertisements. The judges stated they were "appalled" by the authority's lack of response and said they would "rip them apart" if they did not provide a satisfactory explanation.
The court further stated their displeasure with Ramdev and Balkrishna attempting to avoid appearing in person. The judges said that their actions were "unacceptable."
This is the latest development in a case filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) accusing Patanjali of a smear campaign against COVID-19 vaccinations and modern medicine. The court will hear the case again on April 16.