NEW DELHI, Apr 10
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd managing director Acharya Balkrishna on Tuesday tendered “unconditional and unqualified apology” to the Supreme Court in a matter in which they had been sued by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) for allegedly publishing misleading advertisements claiming cure for diseases and criticising allopathy.
On April 2, a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah had said it was not inclined to accept the apology tendered by Ramdev and Balkrishna in response to notices asking to show cause as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for “flouting its directions”. However, it gave them one last opportunity to file proper responses.
The court was upset about a press conference held by Ramdev on November 22, 2023 in Haridwar and an advertisement issued by the company on December 4, 2023, after it had assured the court on November 21, 2023 that it would not make any “casual statements claiming medicinal efficacy or against any system of medicine”.
In a fresh affidavit, filed a day before the Supreme Court is set to take up the matter again, Ramdev said, “I hereby tender my unconditional apology in regard to the issue of advertisements which occurred after the statement of counsel of Respondent No. 5 (Patanjali Ayurved) which was recorded in the order dated 21.11.2023, which I am informed has the force of an injunction. I sincerely regret this lapse and I wish to assure the Hon’ble court that the same will not be repeated”.
Extending his “unconditional and unqualified apology” to the court for the “lapse”, Ramdev sought to assure “to be more vigilant in future”. The Yoga guru also said that he would “further undertake and ensure that the…statement” to not issue such advertisements “shall be complied with in letter and spirit…”.
He also tendered “unconditional and unqualified apology for the press conference held on 22.11.2023” saying “1 regret this lapse and assure that the same will not be repeated again in future”. Ramdev sought the court’s “pardon for the…breach of the statement” made to the court” and undertook “to always uphold the Majesty of Law and Majesty of Justice”.
He also assured “not to make any public statements which may amount to breach of the undertaking given as recorded in para 3 of the order dated 21.11.2023”.
What Acharya Balkrishna said
Acharya Balkrishna too undertook not to issue any “such offending advertisements…in the future” and said “no further offending advertisements were issued after 27.02.2024”.
Balkrishna tendered his “unconditional and unqualified apology” to the court for breach of the statement recorded in the November 21 order and said he undertook to “ensure that the said statement shall be complied with in letter and spirit and no such similar advertisements shall be issued”.
Seeking “pardon for the aforesaid breach of the statement”, he undertook “to always uphold the majesty of law and majesty of justice”.
Balkrishna said, “I sincerely regret the issue of advertisements from Respondent no 5 which is an infraction of the order dated 21.11.2023.
I tender my unconditional and unqualified apology in this regard, on my own behalf and that of Respondent No. 5. I never had any intention to violate orders of this Hon’ble court.
I state that no such lapse will occur in future. I will always uphold the Majesty of law”.
He also apologised to the court for holding the press conference and undertook not to make any public statements which may amount to breach of the undertaking given to the court.
On the last date of hearing, the court had also expressed certain discrepancies in the dates in the applications filed by them seeking permission to appear virtually and said it would initiate perjury charges.
On this, they said they “had already structed” their “travel agent namely scandic services for taking steps to issue tickets on 30.03.2024” and “it was” their “intention to place the tickets so issued before” the court “to show the genuineness of” their “statement about ” their travel”.
“After having instructed” the “travel agent, the Affidavit was affirmed at Haridwar on 30.03.2024 and was sent to…Advocate with a request to file it after” they “get the actual ticket…as that was to be annexed”, the duo said.
The travel agent issued the tickets on March 31 which they communicated to their advocate “with a request to annex the same as and when the affirmed Application is filed. lt was only after having received the said tickets which were annexed as Annexure R1 thereafter the said Application was filed before this Hon’ble Court”, they said. They also regretted that “lapse” in their affidavit supporting the application seeking permission to appear virtually “in as much the air ticket was dated 31.03.2024 while the affidavit was dated 30.03.2024 and the application was e-filed at midnight on 31. 03.2024/01 .04.2024”. Apologising for the lapse, they promised to be more vigilant in the future.
