Patanjali’s recent apology in the misleading ads case is bigger than yesterday’s

Patanjali, led by Ramdev and Balkrishna, had to apologize in public because they didn’t follow the rules set by the Supreme Court regarding their misleading advertisements. They published a big apology in newspapers, admitting their mistake and promising to obey the court’s orders properly in the future.

The ad published this morning covers one-fourth of a newspaper page and is titled “Unconditional Public Apology”. “In wake of ongoing matter before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India (Writ Petition C. No. 645/2022), we in our individual capacity as well as on behalf of the Company, unconditionally apologise for the non-compliance or disobedience of directions/ orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” it read.

“We unconditionally extend the apology for holding meeting/press conference dated 22.11.2023. We earnestly apologize for the mistake made in publishing our advertisements and it is our whole- hearted commitment that such errors will not be repeated. We undertake to abide by directions and instructions of the Hon’ble Court with due care and utmost sincerity. We undertake to uphold the majesty of the court and comply with applicable laws and directions of the Hon’ble Court of law/relevant authorities. Sincerely, Patanjali Ayurved Limited, Acharya Balkrishna, Swami Ramdev, Haridwar, Uttarakhand,” the note added.

The ad published yesterday was smaller and did not specifically mention the names of Ramdev and Balkrishna.

Hearing the matter yesterday, the bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice A Amanullah had asked if the apology had been published prominently. “Has the apology been published prominently? Same font and size as your earlier advertisements?” Justice Kohli had asked.

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Ramdev and Balkrishna, told the court that the apology was published in 67 newspapers at a cost of ₹ 10 lakh, but the court was firm. “Please cut out the ads and then supply it to us. Do not enlarge them and supply it to us. We want to see the actual size. This is our direction… we want to see that when you issue an ad, it does not mean we have to see it by a microscope,” Justice Kohli said. The matter will be heard next on April 30 and Ramdev and Balkrishna have been asked to appear in court.

This whole situation started during the COVID-19 pandemic when Patanjali launched a drug called Coronil and claimed it could cure COVID-19. They even said it had approval from the World Health Organization, which turned out to be false. Things got worse when Ramdev made derogatory remarks about allopathic medicine, angering the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The IMA took legal action, demanding an apology. Then, Patanjali published ads making false claims about curing diseases, leading to a legal battle with the IMA. Despite warnings from the Supreme Court, Patanjali continued with misleading ads, leading to contempt proceedings against them. Their apologies were deemed insincere, and the court demanded a genuine show of regret.