The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to simply accept the affidavits filed by yoga guru Ramdev and managing director of Patanjali Ayurved Balkrishna tendering unconditional apologies over publishing “deceptive” advertisements, asserting that the court was ” not blind” and “it did not want to be generous”.

The court docket stated Patanjali tendered unconditional apologies solely when it was “caught on the improper foot”. The court fixed the matter for a resumed hearing on April 16.

Here are the highest remarks of the Supreme Court within the Patanjali deceptive adverts case:

• “The apology is on paper. Their back is against the wall. We decline to accept this, we consider it a deliberate violation of the undertaking,” the bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice A Amanullah stated.
• The court docket stated that the affidavits by Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna have been despatched to the media first after which to the court docket.
• The court docket got here down laborious on the State Licensing Authority for its inaction on the problem and stated it’s not going to take it calmly. “We will rip you aside,” the bench said in an unusually stern reprimand.
• Reproaching the Authority, the top court said, “We are appalled to note that except for pushing the files, the State Licensing Authority did nothing and was in “deep slumber” over the problem for 4 to 5 years. It requested the state’s officer current on behalf of the Authority to clarify the explanations for inaction.
• The apex court docket noticed that after notices to point out trigger have been issued to them they usually have been directed to current themselves earlier than it, Ramdev and Balkrishna “tried to wriggle out” of the situation where personal presence was warranted. It is “most unacceptable”, the court docket stated.
• “Having regard to your entire historical past of the matter and the previous conduct of the contemnors, now we have expressed our reservations about accepting the newest affidavit filed by them,” the bench said while dictating the order in the courtroom.

WHAT IS THE CASE ABOUT

Ramdev and Balkrishna have tendered an “unconditional and unqualified apology” earlier than the apex court docket over commercials issued by the agency making tall claims concerning the medicinal efficacy of its merchandise. In two separate affidavits filed within the court docket, they tendered unqualified apologies for the “breach of the assertion” recorded in the November 21 last year order of the apex court.

In the November 21, 2023 order, the top court had noted that counsel representing Patanjali Ayurved had assured it that “henceforth there shall not be any violation of any law(s), especially relating to advertising or branding of products manufactured and marketed by it and, further, that no casual statements claiming medicinal efficacy or against any system of medicine will be released to the media in any form”. The high court docket had stated Patanjali Ayurved Ltd is “certain right down to such assurance”.

Non-adherence to the specific assurance and subsequent media statements by the firm had irked the apex court, which later issued notice to them to show cause as to why contempt proceedings be not initiated against them. The apex court is hearing a plea filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) alleging a smear campaign against the Covid vaccination drive and modern systems of medicine. On April 2, the top court had come down hard on Ramdev and Balkrishna and rejected their previous apology as “lip service”.

It had additionally questioned the Centre’s alleged inaction over Patanjali’s claims concerning the efficacy of its merchandise and for denigrating allopathy through the Covid peak and requested why the federal government selected to maintain its “eyes shut”. The apex court had strongly disapproved of Balkrishna’s statement that the Drugs and Cosmetics (Magic Remedies) Act was “archaic” and stated Patanjali Ayurved’s commercials have been within the “tooth of the Act” and violated with impunity the undertaking given to the court.

On March 19, the court had directed Ramdev and Balkrishna to appear before it after taking exception to the company’s failure to respond to the notice issued in the case relating to advertisements of the firm’s products and their medicinal efficacy. The top court had said it deemed it appropriate to issue Ramdev a show cause notice as advertisements issued by Patanjali, which were in the teeth of the undertaking given to the court on November 21, 2023, reflect an endorsement by him.