SC asks Patanjali to file affidavit

To confirm whether ads promoting 14 products withdrawn

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, founded by yoga guru Ramdev, to file an affidavit confirming whether advertisements for its 14 products, whose manufacturing licences were initially suspended but later restored, have been withdrawn.

The Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority had suspended the manufacturing licences of 14 products from Patanjali Ayurved Ltd and Divya Pharmacy on April 15. However, this suspension was subsequently overturned following a report by a high-level committee that examined the grievances of Patanjali in the wake of the controversy.

On May 17, the operation of the suspension order was paused, and later, the suspension was cancelled. During the hearing, a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta took note of a May 16 affidavit from Patanjali, stating that the sale of the 14 products had been stopped in light of the April 15 suspension order. The affidavit also claimed that steps had been taken to remove related advertisements from the company’s official social media accounts.