New Delhi:

An angry Supreme Court on Wednesday lashed out at the Uttarakhand government’s drugs licensing agency, demanding to know why and how it failed to regulate Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurveda specifically for Koronil ( A preparation touted as a “cure” for COVID-19) specifically took action against misleading advertising by Coronil. 19.

Dissatisfied with the insincere apology from the company and its founder, a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah set their sights on Dr. Mithilesh Kumar, joint director of the state’s Food and Drug Administration, who at one point pleaded: Folding hands, please have mercy.

“Please forgive me…” Dr Kumar told the court, “I came in June 2023… this incident happened before me.”

However, the court did not relent.

“Why did you do this? How did you have the nerve to do this? What actions did you take?” Judge Colley asked. “One seeks mercy (but) what about the innocent people who take these drugs?”

Minutes ago, the court had come down heavily on Patanjali Ayurved and its co-founders Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishna Repeatedly violated court orders and filed inappropriate affidavits. The court showed little sympathy for the officials or the drug licensing agency and suspended three officials.

Read | ‘We will tear you apart’: Case filed against authorities in Patanjali ad case

“Now they (drug officials) are at the end of their rope… they are saying ‘we are issuing a warning’,” the court fumed, rejecting Uttarakhand FDA’s argument for action – simply giving Patan Jali slapped him.

“In 2021, the (Union Health) Ministry wrote to the Uttarakhand licensing agency against misleading advertisements. However, the agency issued a warning to the company. The 1954 Act did not provide for a warning nor for aggravating the offence. ,” the court said.

The law in question is the Drugs and Magical Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act.

“This happened six times… back and forth. The license inspector remained silent. (The person in charge) made no report… and the person designated subsequently took the same action,” the Supreme Court said.

Read | Supreme Court again rejects Patanjali’s Ramdev’s apology

The court refocused its anger on Dr Kumar, asking him why he did not take legal advice when he received the notice from the health ministry. “Have you read the law? Do you think a warning is enough? What does the law say? What case did you file? What steps did you take?”

“We will register (now)…” the embattled officer said.

“No… now you just sit at home for a few days. Or you can sit in the office and write letters. You are making fun of the public’s health!” the court responded briefly.

A week after the co-founder of Patanjali Ayurved was slammed for his “absolute contempt” for the country’s Supreme Court, the National Narcotics Control Authority was slapped with a severe crackdown today. Justices Kohli and Amanullah also raised serious questions to the Centre’s AYUSH department, demanding to know why it did not take action against the company after it released a “shocking” advertisement that disparaged contemporary medicine.

Read | ‘Absolute defiance’: Court scolds advertising center Patanjali

In February this year, the court also punished the center for “sitting with eyes closed.”

The court is hearing a contempt case against Patanjali for publishing advertisements making false claims about its products and their medical benefits. On February 27, the court directed Patanjali to stop all electronic and print advertisements providing misleading information with immediate effect.

The Patanjali co-founders have filed an affidavit agreeing to do so, but ads making such claims are said to have continued to be published.

The entire case began last year when the Indian Medical Association filed a petition accusing Baba Ramdev of running a smear campaign against the coronavirus vaccination campaign and modern medicine.

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