Is your Apology the same size as your advertisement? SC slams Baba Ramdev
New Delhi: In a recent development regarding the Patanjali misleading advertisement case against Baba Ramdev and Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna, the Supreme Court asked whether the apology published by Patanjali Ayurved was as big as the advertisements.
During the hearing, Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah questioned the representation of the apology, specifically asking for the original paper cuttings of the advertisements.
Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, representing Ramdev and Balkrishna, informed the court that the apology had been published in 67 newspapers, incurring significant costs. However, the bench emphasized the need for actual newspaper clippings rather than photocopies, stating that enlarging photocopies might not adequately demonstrate the true size of the ad.
The apex court asked Patanjali to produce original paper cuttings of the apology during the next hearing. Both Ramdev and Balkrishna were present in the court for the hearing.
Justice Kohli said, “Cut the actual newspaper clippings and keep them handy. For you to photocopy by enlarging, it may not impress us. We want to see the actual size of the ad. When you issue an apology, it does not mean that we have to see it by a microscope," LiveLaw reported.
"Is the apology the same size as your advertisements?" Justice Kohli asked. "It costs tens of lakhs," replied Rohatgi adding that the apology was published in 67 newspapers. "Does it cost the same tens of lakhs of rupees for the full-page advertisements you published? We are wondering", Justice Kohli asked.
On April 16, the apex court had warned Ramdev and Balkrishna against any attempt to "degrade allopathy" and permitted them to tender a "public apology and show contrition" within a week in the contempt proceedings in the misleading advertisements case against Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, news agency PTI reported.
The bench has posted the matter for hearing on April 30.
The court, however, had made it clear that it was not letting them "off the hook" yet. The apex court is hearing a plea filed in 2022 by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) alleging a smear campaign against the Covid vaccination drive and modern systems of medicine.
The bench further noted that the petitioner, the Indian Medical Association (IMA), must also address internal concerns regarding alleged unethical conduct by some doctors, who are members of the IMA. As a result, the bench instructed the inclusion of the Indian Medical Association as a party to the case.
