Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, his associate Acharya Balkrishna, and their company Divya Pharmacy, a part of Patanjali Ayurved, are facing 26 legal cases in various courts across Kerala. These cases accuse them of violating the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, which prohibits misleading claims about medical treatments.
Details of the Cases
The information was revealed in an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court by K. Sujith Kumar, Kerala’s State Drugs Controller (in charge), on February 20. This was part of a case filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).
The affidavit also states that the registration of five additional cases has been delayed because newspapers that published the allegedly misleading advertisements have not cooperated with the investigation.
Legal Actions So Far
Since 2016, the Kerala Drugs Control Department has filed 116 cases related to such violations against various companies. Out of these:
- 32 cases have resulted in convictions.
- The remaining cases are still ongoing in different courts.
Court Summons for Baba Ramdev
The Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kozhikode has ordered Baba Ramdev to personally appear before the court in May in one of these cases.
This legal battle adds to the growing scrutiny over Patanjali’s advertising practices, with concerns over false medical claims and misleading promotions.