Palakkad: A Kerala court has issued a non-bailable warrant against yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishna, the MD and co-founder of Patanjali Ayurved, after they failed to appear in a criminal case related to misleading medical advertisements. The case was filed by the Kerala drugs inspector against Divya Pharmacy for allegedly publishing false claims about Patanjali products in English and Malayalam newspapers.
The court’s latest order mandates their presence on February 15, following their repeated failure to appear. Earlier, the Palakkad District Court had issued a bailable warrant for their appearance on February 1, which they ignored. The case, registered in October 2024, involves advertisements claiming Patanjali products could cure high blood pressure and diabetes—violations under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.
Legal proceedings against Baba Ramdev and Balakrishna are not limited to Palakkad. Similar cases are pending in Kozhikode, Ernakulam, and Thiruvananthapuram, as well as in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. In Kerala alone, ten cases have been registered—four in Kozhikode, three in Palakkad, two in Ernakulam, and one in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Supreme Court, in a recent hearing on January 15, had warned states and Union territories against inaction regarding misleading medical advertisements. The apex court had cautioned that failure to act could lead to contempt proceedings against authorities.
With growing legal scrutiny over Patanjali Ayurved’s claims, the upcoming hearing on February 15 will determine the next course of action.
