The Delhi High Court, Image credit: PTI
New Delhi: After allegations arose suggesting that the Ayurveda company Patanjali's product, Coronil advertised fake claims on curing Covid-19, the Delhi High Court sought a response from company founder Baba Ramdev, IANS reported.
Justice Anup J. Bhambhani said during the hearing that the clarification of the yoga guru seemed "more like a pat on his own back" as there was hardly any withdrawal of the claims he made in public.
The judge said, "You gave the public two impressions: one is that allopathic doctors don't have a cure and two that Coronil is the cure and treatment. You cannot say it is a supplementary measure. The idea is to be clear in your communication. Words have to express thought. If there is bona fide thought, then it has been concealed in this clarification."
The court was hearing the petition filed by some doctors' associations which alleged that Ramdev's public statement affects them as the claims that Coronil cures Covid-19 are not true and misleading.
However, Ramdeve's counsel, PV Kapur, argued that every medical discipline has a common objective, but none is superior nor inferior to others. An apology has been tendered for what was said about allopathic doctors, which he submitted before the court.
Meanwhile, advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for the doctors' associations, countered that the Patanjali website claims that Coronil is a treatment for Covid-19.
The court listed a further hearing on the matter on August 18.
According to an earlier complaint of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Ramdev has allegedly been propagating false information on social media platforms against medicines being used by the medical fraternity, the Indian government, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and other frontline organisations involved in the treatment of Covid patients.