Palakkad court issues non-bailable warrant against Baba Ramdev in misleading ads case

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Palakkad: A court issued non-bailable warrants against Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishna on Monday after they failed to appear in a criminal case related to allegedly misleading medical advertisements.
The Judicial First Class Magistrate-II, Palakkad, had earlier issued bailable warrants, requiring their appearance on 1 February. However, as they failed to attend, the court issued non-bailable warrants on Saturday to secure their presence on February 15.
The case was filed by the Kerala Drugs Inspector against Divya Pharmacy, an affiliate of Patanjali Ayurved, under provisions of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. The complaint cites violations of Section 3, which prohibits the advertisement of certain drugs for treating specific diseases. Additionally, Section 3(b) bans advertisements claiming to enhance sexual pleasure, while Section 3(d) prohibits ads that claim to diagnose, cure, or prevent diseases listed under the Act.
In the case, Divya Pharmacy is named as the first accused, Acharya Balakrishna as the second, and Baba Ramdev as the third.
Patanjali Ayurved has previously faced legal scrutiny over misleading advertisements. The Supreme Court had issued a contempt notice against the company for disparaging modern medicine, particularly allopathy, and making unverified claims about disease cures. The case was later closed after Ramdev, Balakrishna, and Patanjali Ayurved issued a public apology.
(With LiveLaw inputs.)