Politics

Patanjali Ads Case: Ramdev and Balkrishna Issue New ‘Public Apology’ Following Supreme Court Reprimand

On Wednesday, April 24, Patanjali Ayurved Limited co-founders Balkrishna and yoga guru Ramdev released a fresh public apology in newspapers. This came a day after the Supreme Court questioned them regarding the scope and prominence of an earlier apology the company had released for deceptive advertisements. The court was hearing a contempt case. The new “unconditional public apology” from Patanjali says, “In wake of the ongoing matter before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, we, in our capacity as well as on behalf of the Company, unconditionally apologize for the non-compliance or disobedience of directions or orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.” It also has more fonts this time.

“We sincerely apologize for the meeting and press conference on November 22, 2023. We really regret the error that occurred when our ads were published, and we promise that it won’t happen again. We promise to carefully and sincerely follow the Hon’ble Court’s guidelines and instructions. It continues, “We pledge to respect the court’s majesty and adhere to all applicable laws and directives from the Hon’ble Court of Law and related agencies. Before the Supreme Court, Ramdev and Balkrishna had previously submitted an “unconditional and unqualified apology” in response to company ads that made exaggerated claims about the therapeutic value of their goods.

The Supreme Court questioned Ramdev and his assistant Balkrishna on Tuesday over the extent to which their unconditional apology had been publicized in newspapers. A panel of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah questioned them during the case hearing, asking, “Is it the same size of advertisements that you normally issue in newspapers?” In an appearance on behalf of Ramdev and Balkrishna, senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi informed the court that they had sent out an unconditional apology on Monday for their “lapses.”

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The bench inquired, “Where was it published?” According to Mukul Rohatgi, the apology has appeared in 67 publications nationwide. “Prominently?” The court questioned the counsel one more time and ordered that the published apology be entered into the record. It stated that it desired to have the official apology printed in print media. “There is no trace of the aforementioned ads. It is proposed that they have been compiled and will be filed during the day, along with copies for the parties’ legal representatives. The bench declared, “Necessary shall be done within two days with copies to counsel for the parties.” It stated that the issue pertaining to Ramdev and Balkrishna’s apology will be taken into consideration on April 30.