Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna Seek Recall of Arrest Warrant in Objectionable Ads Case

WHAT HAS HAPPENED?

Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna have filed an application before the Judicial First Class Magistrate-II in Palakkad on February 3, 2025, seeking to recall the arrest warrant issued against them in connection with an objectionable advertisements case. The application, filed under Section 205 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), is aimed at avoiding their arrest.

Today, the court took up the application and posted it for hearing on February 11, 2025.

BACKGROUND OF THE CASE

The Court had previously issued bailable warrants in Drugs Inspector Palakkad v. Divya Pharmacy and others against them, but after there was no appearance, non-bailable warrants were issued to ensure their presence in the case.

The case involves Divya Pharmacy, an affiliated company of Patanjali Ayurved, which is accused under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. The complaint was filed by the Drug Inspector under various sections of the Act, including Section 3, which prohibits the advertisement of certain drugs for specific diseases and conditions. Section 3(b) specifically prohibits advertisements promoting drugs for the enhancement of sexual pleasure, while Section 3(d) bans ads that make false claims about curing diseases or disorders.

THE ACCUSED
In this case:

• Divya Pharmacy is the first accused,
• Acharya Balkrishna is the second accused, and
• Baba Ramdev is the third accused.

PREVIOUS SCRUTINY

Earlier, Patanjali Ayurved faced scrutiny from the Supreme Court over misleading advertisements targeting modern systems of medicine, such as Allopathy. The Supreme Court had issued a contempt notice against Patanjali Ayurved for continuing to publish misleading claims about curing diseases. However, the contempt cases were closed after Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna, and Patanjali Ayurved issued a public apology.