'Apology Same Size As Ads?' Supreme Court Grills Ramdev, Aide Balkrishna

New Delhi: 

Hearing the misleading ads case against Patanjali Ayurved, the Supreme Court today asked if the size of an apology it put out in newspapers today was similar to its full-page advertisements of its products.  Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Patanjali founders Ramdev and Balkrishna, said they have filed a fresh set of apologies before the court.

The bench asked why the apologies were filed yesterday and that it should have been done earlier. Mr Rohatgi said the apology was published in 67 newspapers at a cost of ₹ 10 lakh. "Has the apology been published prominently? Same font and size as your earlier advertisements?" Justice Hima Kohli asked. When Mr Rohatgi said the company had spent lakhs, the court replied, "We are not bothered."

The court noted that it has received an application seeking a ₹ 1000 crore fine against the Indian Medical Association (IMA) for its case against Patanjali. "Is it a proxy plea? We suspect," the bench said, as Mr Rohatgi stressed his clients have nothing to do with it.

The Supreme Court adjourned the matter for a week after Ramdev said he will publish a bigger apology in newspapers.  

Justice Kohli said, "Please cut out the ads and then supply it to us. Do not enlarge them and supply it to us. We want to see the actual size. This is our direction... we want to see that when you issue an ad, it does not mean we have to see it by a microscope." 

Hours ahead of the Supreme Court hearing, Patanjali Ayurved put out an apology in national dailies, stressing that they have utmost respect for the court and that their mistakes will not be repeated.

In an ad, Patanjali said it has utmost respect for the Supreme Court's statue. "We tender our heartfelt apology for the mistakes committed in publishing ads and holding press conferences despite the assurances by our counsel. We are committed not to repeat this mistake," the ad read.