Patanjali issues a fresh apology following the Supreme Court's stern stance

Delhi: On Wednesday, yoga guru Ramdev and his assistant Acharya Balkrishna issued a new, larger apology in major newspapers for the misleading advertisements of Patanjali's health products. 

The Supreme Court had previously criticised the pair for not making their apology sufficiently prominent.

In their advertisement, Ramdev and Balkrishna offered an "unconditional apology" both personally and on behalf of Patanjali Ayurved, acknowledging their "non-compliance or disobedience of the directions/orders of the Supreme Court of India."

The apology stated, “We earnestly apologise for the mistake made in publishing our advertisements and it is our wholehearted commitment that such errors will not be repeated.”

Netizens noted that the apology ad appeared on the last page of the newspaper while their product ads are often prominently displayed on the front page. Few even remarked that the language of apology (English) is of ‘limited reach’ in our country and that the brand is using it to its advantage. 

New Public Apology published by Patanjali Ayurved, Acharya Balkrishna and Swami Ramdev in relation to the contempt case in #SupremeCourt over misleading ads.

Yesterday, SC had asked if their earlier public apology was as big as their advertisements.https://t.co/DIjFpn2YZP pic.twitter.com/GziXsw9Px1

— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) April 24, 2024

This enlarged apology in their advertisements follows after the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, reviewed the matter of ‘misleading ads’ and noted a significant disparity in the size of their previous apology compared to the initial advertisements. 

Justice Kohli asked, "Is the apology the same size as your advertisements?"

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Ramdev, informed the court that a public apology had been issued in 60 publications. However, the justices were not satisfied and instructed that larger apologies should be issued.

The bench underlined the importance of consumer protection, especially concerning vulnerable groups such as children.

This matter has been scheduled for further hearing on April 30, by which time the court expects the Central government to provide a detailed response to the issues raised, particularly concerning misleading advertisements and the regulatory framework governing them.