Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his Patanjali empire have found themselves in legal hot water yet again, this time in Kerala. The Judicial First Class Magistrate II in Palakkad issued a bailable arrest warrant against Baba Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna, and Divya Pharmacy—the marketing arm of Patanjali Ayurved—after they failed to appear in court on January 16. This is the first such warrant issued against the trio in Kerala and marks a significant step in the ongoing legal battles against the brand’s misleading advertising claims.
The case, registered in October 2024, accuses Patanjali of promoting healthcare products with unsubstantiated claims. Advertisements for their products allegedly promised cures for high blood pressure and diabetes—assertions that fall foul of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. Despite summons from the court, none of the accused appeared for the January hearing, prompting the court to issue the warrant. The case is now scheduled for February 1.
The misleading ad claims involved advertising products that falsely claimed to cure diseases like diabetes, obesity, and Covid-19.
A trail of cases across states
This isn’t an isolated incident. As per several media reports, similar cases against Baba Ramdev and his team are pending in Kozhikode and their home turf of Haridwar in Uttarakhand. In total, at least 10 cases have been registered against them in Kerala alone, including four in Kozhikode, three in Palakkad, two in Ernakulam, and one in Thiruvananthapuram. The alleged non-appearance in multiple hearings suggests a pattern of evasion that has irked the judiciary.
The Apex court steps in
The Kerala court’s decision follows a strong message from the Supreme Court on January 15. The court warned states and union territories of contempt action for dragging their feet on legal proceedings against individuals and companies promoting misleading medical claims. Justices Abhay Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan underscored the importance of enforcing laws such as the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act, Drugs and Cosmetics Act, and the Consumer Protection Act, criticising the laxity in tackling deceptive advertisements.
Why this matters
Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali has long been a household name in India, leveraging his popularity as a yoga guru to sell everything from herbal medicines to toothpaste. But the controversies surrounding the brand’s claims are not new. Critics argue that while Patanjali markets itself as a harbinger of Ayurvedic tradition, it has often crossed ethical boundaries by making unverifiable and sometimes outrageous health claims.
The issue also raises broader questions about accountability in the Indian advertising space, particularly for health-related products. Misleading advertisements can have dire consequences, especially when they exploit vulnerable consumers looking for quick fixes to serious health problems.
The bigger picture
While Patanjali has successfully captured a massive market share by tapping into India’s love for Ayurveda and natural remedies, the legal cases show that even household names aren’t immune to scrutiny. For Baba Ramdev, this is more than a legal issue—it’s a test of his brand’s credibility. As the cases pile up, the pressure is on for the company to either substantiate its claims or face the consequences of overpromising and underdelivering.
With the judiciary finally cracking down on misleading medical claims, the days of unchecked advertising might be numbered. For now, though, the message to Baba Ramdev and Patanjali is clear: show up or face the music.