In Brief

Patanjali Ayurved Limited, its Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna, and Baba Ramdev gave an undertaking to the Supreme Court on 21 November 2023 not to publish misleading advertisements or make statements claiming medicinal efficacy for prohibited diseases, and not to disparage other systems of medicine. Within days, they violated this undertaking by publishing advertisements claiming to cure high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, and other scheduled diseases, and by holding a press conference. The Court initiated contempt proceedings. Although the contemnors initially offered a qualified apology, they subsequently tendered an unconditional apology, took corrective steps including publishing public apologies in prominent newspapers and withdrawing violative advertisements. The Court accepted the apology and closed the proceedings, finding sincere efforts to purge the contempt, but warned of grave consequences for any future violations.

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