Baba Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna Receive Court Notice Over Divya Pharmacy Ads
Ramdev and Balkrishna were asked to appear in person or through counsel before the court on July 6.
Baba Ramdev, or Ram Kisan Yadav and Acharya Balkrishna, directors of Divya Pharmacy, were issued summons by a judicial magistrate court in Kozhikode over the advertisement of their products.
"We may inform you that in the matter of advertisement of ayurvedic medicines of Divya Pharmacy, directors of our company, namely Shri Swami Ramdev and Shri Acharya Balkrishna, received notice from the Court of Judicial First-Class Magistrate-IV, Kozhikode, to appear in person or through counsel before the Court on July 6, 2024," Patanjali Foods Ltd. said in an exchange filing.
This is not the first time the two have been involved in a court case. Ramdev and Balkrishna were summoned by the Supreme Court on March 19 over a similar contempt case issued against them over their continued advertisement of misleading claims of products sold by their company, Patanjali Ayurved Ltd.
The case had begun in November 2023, when the court had a hearing over a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association over the advertisements.
"The IMA had referred to several advertisements that allegedly projected allopathy and doctors in a poor light, saying that 'disparaging' statements have also been made by firms engaged in the production of ayurvedic medicines to mislead the general public," NDTV reported.
The company stated that the court summons were only related to Divya Pharmacy's advertisements and denied any involvement with Patanjali Foods.
"Advertisements of ayurvedic medicines from Divya Pharmacy... have no bearing on Patanjali Foods. Patanjali Foods is an independent listed entity and operates in the space of edible oil, food, FMCG products, oilpalm plantation and wind power only," the filing said.
