Criminal Complaint Filed Against Ramdev, Balkrishna

The criminal complaint is for Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna and Patanjali for violating the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act. Ramdev said that he has never criticised any other form of medicine, including modern medicine.

Apologies were made by both Ramdev and Balkrishna, before the Supreme Court over advertisements issued by the Patanjali. These are the products whose licences have been suspended - Swasari Gold, Swasari Vati, Bronchom, Swasari Pravahi, Swasari Avaleh, Mukta Vati Extra Power, Lipidom, Bp Grit, Madhugrit, Madhunashini Vati Extra Power, Livamrit Advance, Livogrit, Eyegrit Gold and Patanjali Drishti Eye Drop.

Amidst a hearing in the Supreme Court against Ramdev and Patanjali’s Managing Director Balkrishna on disobeying court orders that forbade Patanjali Ayurved from running misleading advertisements on health cures, this decision was made. The apex court is hearing a 2022 plea by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) alleging a smear campaign against the Covid vaccination drive and modern systems of medicine.

Only last month, the court had instructed Ramdev, his aide Acharya Balakrishnan and Patanjali Ayurved  to issue a public apology for not following its orders on misleading advertisments. During the hearings last week, a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah asked pointed questions at Ramdev and Balkrishna to answer charges of contempt of court, coming from a series of advertisements that claimed Patanjali products could cure various diseases. This was a clear violation of the top court’s earlier directives and an undertaking given by Patanjali in this regard.

Invoking the power under Rule 159(1) of the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules 1954, the licenses of the products mentioned before were suspended with "immediate effect", the Authority made a formal statement. Notably, the order came after the Supreme Court pulled up the State Authority on April 10, 2024 for its inaction against Patanjali and Divya Pharmacy for their illegal advertisements of these products.

The Authority stated that a criminal complaint has been filed against Patanjali Ayurved, its Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna, its co-founder Baba Ramdev and Divya Pharmacy before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Haridwar under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954.

With inputs from media reports