The Supreme Court on Wednesday firmly rejected the apology offered by Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna, following notices regarding potential contempt of court proceedings. Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah presided over the plea filed by the Indian Medical Association against Patanjali Ayurved Ltd.

During the hearing, Mukul Rohatgi, representing Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, asserted that the apology was “unconditional and unqualified.” However, Justice Kohli dismissed the gesture, stating, “They are only on paper after they were caught on the wrong foot in court. We do not accept it, we decline to. We consider it a willful, deliberate disobedience of the undertaking,” as reported by the legal website Bar and Bench.

Previously, the court expressed dismay over an advertisement released by the company on December 4, 2023, subsequent to its assurance on November 21, 2023, not to make any “casual statements claiming medicinal efficacy or against any system of medicine.” In an affidavit submitted on Tuesday, Ramdev expressed regret for the advertisement’s issuance, promising to exercise greater vigilance in the future.

Ramdev sought the court’s forgiveness for the breach and pledged to uphold the Majesty of Law and Justice. Similarly, Acharya Balkrishna vowed to refrain from issuing any further offending advertisements and confirmed no such ads had been released post-February 27, 2024.