In the ongoing hearing of the Patanjali misleading advertisement case in the Supreme Court today, both Baba Ramdev and Balakrishna appeared. The bench comprising Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah is presiding over the hearing. Earlier, during the hearing on April 2, Patanjali had submitted an apology letter.
During the hearing, the Solicitor General (SG) stated that they had suggested seeking an unconditional apology in this matter. However, the court even refused to accept Baba Ramdev’s unconditional apology affidavit. Justice Amanullah remarked that these individuals have ignored our orders thrice. They will have to face the consequences.
“We are rejecting the affidavit,” said the court.
Justice Amanullah added, “You are deceiving the court with this affidavit. Who prepared it? I am astonished. Meanwhile, Justice Kohli said that you should not have given such an affidavit. Upon which, advocate Mukul Rohatgi said that we have made a mistake. To this, the Supreme Court said – ‘Mistake! Such a trivial word. Anyway, we will decide on this. We consider this as a disregard for the court’s orders knowingly.’
The Supreme Court said, “Even after our orders? We do not want to be so generous in this matter. We are rejecting the affidavit; it is just a piece of paper. We are not blind! We see everything.” To this, Mukul Rohatgi said that people make mistakes, then the Supreme Court said, then those who make mistakes have to bear the consequences. Then they have to endure the pain. We do not want to be so generous in this matter.
The Supreme Court said, “Suspend these three drugs licensing officers immediately. Do you accept that they are exercising their influence under your nose? Do you accept this? There are also old companies doing the business of Ayurvedic medicines. The court’s environment is being made. Their purpose is to keep people associated with Ayurvedic medicines as if they are the first person to bring Ayurvedic medicines to the world.”
Harsh reprimand to the officer
The court said, “Give us a report on what action has been taken after the three notices were given? While scolding the Joint Director of the Drug Department, Mithilesh Kumar, in Hindi, the court said, ‘You should be ashamed. On what basis did you say that the guilty will be warned? Which legal department or agency did you consult in this matter? We cannot understand more in Hindi. Why shouldn’t action be taken against you? Why not assume that you were also involved? You wrote about warning without looking at the act, where is it mentioned in the act? People die, and you keep warning. You have worked enough. Now sit at home. You did not use your intelligence.”
Dismissal of a person’s petition
During this, a person mentioned in his petition that my mother trusted this advertisement, but she did not benefit. The court dismissed that petition with a fine of ten thousand rupees. Justice Kohli said, “How did you file such a petition in court to gain publicity? It has been filed with bad intentions.”
The Supreme Court dismissed the petition of that Jaidip Nihare, who had demanded to become a party. The court said that the petitioner’s petition is not worthy of hearing. The court ordered that a fine of ten thousand rupees be deposited in the Advocate Welfare Fund within a week. The court told the petitioner, “Your mother died in 2019, what were you doing for so many years?”
