Misleading Ads Case: Patanjali's Baba Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna tender 'unconditional apology' to SC

A day before the hearing in the misleading advertisement case, Acharya Balkrishna, managing director of Patanjali Ayurved, and self-styled yoga guru and co-founder Baba Ramdev tendered "unconditional and unqualified apology” for violating the undertaking given by the company for not publishing misleading claims of their products.

The duo also agreed to comply with the Supreme Court’s order in letter and spirit, and uphold the majesty of law and majesty of justice.

“I sincerely regret this lapse and I wish to assure the SC that the same will not be repeated. I hereby tender an unconditional and unqualified apology for the breach of the statement…I further undertake and ensure that the said statement shall be complied with in letter and spirit and no such similar advertisements shall be used... I seek pardon for the aforesaid breach of the statement. I undertake to always uphold the majesty of law and majesty of justice," Balakrishna and Ramdev said in their separate but similar affidavits.


The matter is coming up for hearing on Wednesday.

On April 2, a Bench comprising justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah had come down hard on Ramdev and Balkrishna for their “absolute defiance” and breaking "every barrier" in the contempt cases against them over the publication of misleading medical advertisements in breach of an undertaking given to the court and for not filing proper affidavits of compliance.

The court had categorically refused to accept their previous apologies, terming them “perfunctory” and mere “lip service.” However, they were given a "last opportunity" to file a proper affidavit within a week.

The two had appeared before the apex court in connection with the show cause notices issued as to why contempt proceedings would not be initiated against them.

The court took strong exception to the explanation given by Balkrishna that the media department of the company was not aware of the SC order, saying the MD cannot "feign ignorance" and that the media department cannot be regarded as a "standalone island…Once there are undertakings given to the court, then whose duty it is to convey to the entire chain down the line?"

November last year, the top court had asked the company to stop misleading claims and advertisements against the modern system of medicine and cautioned it that “the court will take any such infraction very seriously, and consider imposing costs to the extent of Rs 1 crore on every product regarding which a false claim is made that it can cure a particular disease”.

However, the very next day, Ramdev and Balkrishna had allegedly held a press conference and made claims again that Patanjali had permanent cures for diabetes, blood pressure, asthma, arthritis and glaucoma, among others.