‘I raise my hands’: Supreme Court slams Patanjali for non-compliance, says it is fed up

Patanjali misleading ads case: The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, slammed Patanjali Ayurved for non-compliance issues. The bench rebuked Patanjali for non-compliance with its order of furnishing the apology ads in newspapers as cutouts. 

Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah slammed the Baba Ramdev led company over its documents. “I raise my hands! This is too much! It was made clear that one original would be filed! There was no confusion!” said Justice Amanullah. 

Justice Kohli also rebuked senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the company, and Patanjali, for the way the apology ads were filed for the bench. “Did you file the original? If you filed the original, why did the registry have to scan it? You have e-filed it? Look at the way you filed it! Why did you e-file it when we asked you to file the original,” she asked the party.

The bench said what they had filed was not what was asked of them. 

The ads in question are the public apologies that the company had filed in the newspapers – for the second time – after the Supreme Court slammed them for not publishing the apology in the same way they had filed the misleading ads. 

Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna-led company had, adhering to the court’s orders, filed their public apologies. However, the apex court was not convinced with the size and fonts of the ads, and had asked them to publish another apology, in the same size as the misleading ads.

Patanjali then published the apology ads again in a larger size and bigger fonts. “We earnestly apologise 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,” the unconditional apology stated. 

Reserving the hearing for April 30, Justice Hima Kohli, had particularly pointed out to the company to “cut out the ads” and then file it for the bench. “Do not enlarge them and supply it to us. We want to see the actual size. This is our direction," she had particularly said.