Patanjali Apologizes for Misleading Ads Day After Supreme Court Summons Ramdev

New Delhi: Acharya Balkrishna, managing director of Patanjali Ayurved and an associate of Yoga guru Ramdev apologized to the Supreme Court for the company’s misleading claims about its products and their medicinal efficacy.

The affidavit with the apology was submitted on Wednesday, a day after the apex court slammed Patanjali Ayurved for not responding to a contempt notice over misleading advertisements. The bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah had asked Balkrishna and Ramdev to appear in court on April 2.

In an affidavit filed in the court, Mr Balkrishna has said he has the highest regards for the rule of law. Extending an “unqualified apology”, he said the company will “ensure that such advertisements are not issued in the future”.

Established in 2006 by Ramdev and Balkrishna, Patanjali Ayurved is a multinational conglomerate involved in the manufacture and marketing of products, ranging from ayurvedic medicine to cosmetics to food items.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court came down heavily on Patanjali, citing its failure to respond to a notice for contempt proceedings. The court directed Ramdev and Balkrishna to appear before it. It also noted that Patanjali Ayurved’s advertisements were in the teeth of an undertaking given to the court last year.