A court in Kerala has issued bail warrants against yoga practitioners Baba Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna and Divya Pharmacy in connection with misleading advertisements.
The Second Judicial First Class Judge of Palcard issued the warrant on January 16 after they failed to appear in court despite being issued with summons to appear.
In its order, the court said, “The petitioner is absent. All the accused who were absent have served their sentences. Bail warrants can be issued to all the accused.”
The case revolves around advertisements published by Divya Pharmacy, a subsidiary of Patanjali Ayurveda, which allegedly violated the Drugs and Magical Remedies (Offensive Advertisements) Act, 1954.
These advertisements have been accused of making unsubstantiated claims about treating illnesses and disrespecting modern medicine, including allopathy. A similar case is pending in the First Class Judicial Court, Calicut.
Patanjali and its founders have faced multiple legal challenges over the past two years due to advertising. The issue gained national attention after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) filed a petition against Patanjali Ayurveda, with the Supreme Court temporarily banning its advertisements and contempt of court for misleading claims. Issued a notice of offence.
After Ramdev and Balkrishna appeared before the Supreme Court and publicly apologized, the court ordered Patanjali to publish the apology in a newspaper. However, the court also criticized the central government for not taking stronger measures under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.
In August 2024, the Supreme Court concluded the contempt case, but the legal battle over Patanjali’s advertisements continues. The Palcard court set the next hearing for February 1st.
