Uttarakhand Official BEGS “Please Spare Me” as Supreme Court Slams Patanjali Ads, Baba Ramdev mentioned

The bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah expressed dissatisfaction with the company’s and its founders’ purportedly insincere apologies. The focus then shifted to Dr. Mithilesh Kumar, the Joint Director of the state’s Food and Drug Administration, who, at one point, begged for mercy with folded hands, saying, “Please spare me… I came in June 2023… this happened before me.”

However, the court remained unyielding, questioning Dr. Kumar’s actions and the authority’s response, particularly regarding the issuance of warnings instead of taking concrete measures against Patanjali as per the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act. The court highlighted the inadequacy of warnings and emphasized the importance of adhering to the law, demanding to know what actions had been taken. The court also criticized the state drug authority’s failure to effectively address the issue and later instructed the beleaguered officer to refrain from work for a few days, admonishing the authority for playing with public health.

This stern reprimand of the state drug authority came after Patanjali Ayurved’s co-founders were previously admonished for their “absolute defiance” of the court. Justices Kohli and Amanullah also raised concerns about the AYUSH Ministry’s inaction against Patanjali’s misleading advertisements, questioning why the ministry had not taken action against the company’s ads that belittled contemporary medicine. The court was addressing a contempt case against Patanjali for publishing ads with false claims about its products and their medical efficacy.

Despite directing Patanjali to cease all misleading advertisements on February 27, the court found that such ads were still being published, prompting further scrutiny of the company’s actions.