New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the apologies filed by Swami Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, MD Patanjali, in relation to misleading advertisements claiming cures for various diseases.
A bench comprising justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said the court is not blind and told senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Ramdev and Balkrishna, that it is not convinced with the apology tendered by them. The bench said they are taking the proceedings very lightly and also pointed at the perjury committed by them, regarding documents submitted in the court.
The apex court said it does not accept Ramdev and Balkrishna’s apology and the court considers it a wilful, deliberate disobedience of undertaking. “We do not want to be generous in this case", said the bench, adding that their back is against the wall and they have been caught on the wrong foot.
Justice Kohli said, why should we not treat your apology with the same disdain as shown to court undertaking? The apex court stressed that a message should go to the society. The apex court pulled up the Uttarakhand government counsel for failing to act against Patanjali. The hearing is in progress. During the hearing, the apex court said it was not just about one FMCG but violation of the law, while pointing at Patanjali’s replies to state authority.
The bench said Balkrishna and Ramdev tried to evade personal appearance before the court by making false claims of travel abroad. The bench said in the affidavit affirmed on March 30, flight tickets dated March 31 were annexed and when the affidavit was sworn, flight tickets were not in existence.
The apex court also came down heavily on the Uttarakhand government and questioned why licensing inspectors did not act . The bench said the state authorities were hand in glove with the company, while asking for suspension of the concerned officers.
Justice Amanullah told the Uttarakhand government counsel, “We will rip you apart….” and added that the company has been playing with people's lives by claiming cure to various diseases.
The bench said that in 2021, the concerned ministry wrote to the Uttarakhand licensing authority in connection with the misleading advertisement but the licensing inspector kept silent. Justice Amanullah said that the officers involved in the matter should be suspended with immediate effect.
The apex court said that the concerned state authority let off the company with a warning and stressed that the law does not provide for warning and there is no provision for compounding the offence.
The bench told the officer, appearing for the licensing department, that the department was acting like a post office and added, “why don't we agree that you are hand-in-glove with Patanjali”.
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