Kerala Court issues non-bailable warrants against Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna

A court in Kerala issued non-bailable warrants on Saturday, February 3, against Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna after their failure to appear in a criminal case linked to allegedly misleading advertisements by Divya Pharmacy, a subsidiary of Patanjali Ayurved.

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.