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Patanjali misleading ads case: Baba Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna move Kerala Court to recall non-bailable warrant
On February 3, Kerala Court issued non-bailable warrants against Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna over alleged misleading advertisements linked to Divya Pharmacy, a subsidiary of Patanjali Ayurved.
The arrest warrant was issued against Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna over them failing to attend a court hearing scheduled earlier this month.
Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna moved an application at a Kerala trial court to recall the non-bailable arrest warrants against them in the misleading advertisement case.
The Kerala court had issued non-bailable warrants on February 3, against the duo after their failure to appear in a criminal case linked to allegedly misleading advertisements by Divya Pharmacy, a subsidiary of Patanjali Ayurved.
Ramdev and Balkrishna reportedly have filed the application under Section 205 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which deals with the trial courts' discretion to exempt accused persons from having to personally appear for court hearings and instead be represented by lawyers.
The warrants were issued by the Judicial First Class Magistrate-II in Palakkad to secure their attendance on February 15. Earlier, the court had ordered bailable warrants for the duo, instructing them to appear on February 1. Their absence on that date prompted the escalation to non-bailable warrants.
The case stems from a complaint filed by Kerala’s Drugs Inspector, who accuses Divya Pharmacy of violating provisions of The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. Specifically, the complaint cites violations of Sections 3, 3(b), and 3(d), which prohibit advertising certain drugs for specific diseases, sexual enhancement claims, and unsubstantiated health benefits.
In this legal proceeding, Divya Pharmacy is named as the first accused, with Acharya Balkrishna and Baba Ramdev listed as the second and third accused, respectively.
This is not the first time Patanjali Ayurved has faced legal scrutiny for its marketing practices. The company came under fire for publishing advertisements that allegedly disparaged modern medicine, particularly Allopathy. The Supreme Court previously issued a contempt notice against Patanjali for continuing to run such ads, but the case was later closed after Ramdev, Balkrishna, and Patanjali offered a public apology.
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