The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its judgment in contempt proceedings against yoga guru Baba Ramdev, his close associate Acharya Balkrishna and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, the company they co-founded, for defying a court undertaking to not publish misleading advertisements of their herbal products in violation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act.
A Bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah was informed by senior advocate Balbir Singh, appearing for Patanjali, that the original newspaper cuttings of the public apologies issued by the trio have been filed in court. The Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority, under fire from the court for years of official apathy and neglect paving the way for the easy peddling of these products to a gullible public, woke up to suspend the manufacturing of 14 Patanjali products.
However, the court enquired about stocks out in the market on the shelves of retail and wholesale outlets. It directed Patanjali to file an affidavit in three weeks, detailing steps taken to recall the stock from its retailers and agencies.
