Supreme Court’s stand against Ramdev, Patanjali is laudable

The Supreme Court must be lauded for taking a tough stand against Baba Ramdev, Patanjali, and company’s managing director Acharya Balkrishna. By refusing to accept their “unconditional apology,” the apex court has demonstrated that it is unafraid to maintain the majesty of law.

It is a well-known fact that Ramdev is close to the ruling dispensation. Also, he is a big, if not the biggest, advertiser. This is the reason that his misdemeanors and misdeeds receive neither any adverse action from the state nor pushback from the media. But the Supreme Court has not been swayed by the yoga guru’s clout and influence.

“The victim is always the public. We are concerned with all those FMCG [fast-moving consumer goods] companies who are taking their consumers and clients up and down the garden path, showing them very rosy pictures about what their products can do for them. People who pay good money for these products finally end up suffering at the cost of their health… That is absolutely unacceptable,” Justice Hima Kohli observed.

The Bench, also comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, came down heavily on Ramdev and Patanjali for their objectionable and misleading advertisements, claiming to cure diabetes, obesity, liver dysfunction, and even Covid-19 during the pandemic. It termed the ads as “deliberate and willful violations” of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act of 1954 and its Rules.

On November 21 last year, the SC had exhorted Patanjali to not make any “casual statements” in the media about the efficacy of their products or disparage other medical systems, including allopathy. Ramdev, however, didn’t take that directive seriously and held a press conference the very next day.

“We are thinking, why we should not treat your apology with the same disdain in which you treated the undertaking given to this court?” Justice Kohli asked senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi who appeared for Ramdev and others.

The apex court was also unsparing to Dr Mithilesh Kumar, Joint Director of the Uttarakhand’s Food and Drug Administration. He begged for mercy with folded hands. “”Please spare me…” he told the court, “I came in June 2023… This happened before me.”

The court castigated the Uttarakhand government for not taking action against Patanjali. “You kept twiddling your thumb when the law was being violated with impunity. The concerned officers must be dismissed,” it told the state.

This must serve as a deterrent to the officers who blindly and unquestioningly follow the orders of their political bosses.