New Delhi: In a major relief to former Indian Medical Association (IMA) president R V Asokan, the Supreme Court on Wednesday closed the proceedings initiated against him over his comments on the apex court in an interview to news agency PTI in April last year. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan perused the affidavits filed by Asokan tendering an unconditional apology.
"In view of the apology tendered and affidavits filed..., no further action is contemplated," the bench said. Asokan, then IMA president, made the remarks while answering queries about Patanjali Ayurved Ltd's misleading advertisements case which was published in various publications.
In an interaction with PTI editors on April 29, 2024, for its programme "@4 Parliament Street", he said it was "unfortunate" that the Supreme Court criticised the medical body and also some of the practices of private doctors. Asokan was replying to a query on the observations of the Supreme Court in a hearing on April 23 last year when the top court said while pointing one finger at Patanjali, the remaining four fingers were pointed at the IMA.
The apex court was hearing a plea filed in 2022 by the IMA alleging a smear campaign by Patanjali against the Covid vaccination drive and modern systems of medicine. Expressing displeasure over Asokan's comments a day before the top court was slated to the hear the matter, the apex court in May 2024 sought his response on an application filed by Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, which had urged the court to take judicial notice of his statements.
During the hearing on Wednesday, senior advocate P S Patwalia, appearing for Asokan, said his client had filed affidavits tendering apology in the apex court. "I (Asokan) have published it in the newspapers. I have published it on the website. It is on IMA newsletter also and I have placed the newspapers also on record," he said.
