The Delhi High Court on Monday barred yoga guru Ramdev from claiming that ‘Coronil’ is a cure for Covid-19 and directed him to remove such claims regarding this Patanjali product from all websites and social media platforms within three days. This case is of 2021 and the court had reserved the decision on May 21 after hearing all the arguments of both the parties.
Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani, in his interim order on a petition filed by several doctors’ associations against Ramdev, said that the statutory approval allowed the tablet to be used as a supportive measure for COVID-19, which is far from Ramdev’s claim that it is a cure for this infection. The court has given these orders while giving its verdict on the petition of the Resident Doctors Association.
The court said that allowing such advertisements and promotion of the product would not only pose a threat to the public but could also defame Ayurveda.
The High Court said that instructions are given to remove some objectionable posts and content. The respondent is directed to remove those tweets in three days. If the instructions are not followed, the concerned social media platform will remove this content.
The petition is part of a 2021 suit filed by physician associations against Ramdev, his associate Acharya Balkrishna and Patanjali Ayurveda. Justice Bhambhani had reserved the order on the issue on May 21 after hearing the parties.
According to the lawsuit, Ramdev made unverified claims regarding ‘Coronil’ and called it a medicine for Covid-19, whereas it was licensed only as an immunity booster medicine.
The doctors’ union alleged that a campaign based on misinformation was launched to increase the sales of products sold by Ramdev, including ‘Coronil’. Coronil was claimed to be an alternative treatment for Covid-19.
Tags: Baba Ramdev, Delhi High Court, Patanjali
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 29, 2024, 23:15 IST