NEW DELHI: Asserting that nobody should be misled against allopathy, the Delhi High Court Wednesday told Ramdev that while he was welcome to have his followers, he should not mislead the public by saying more than what is ‘official’.
Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani, who was hearing a lawsuit against the yoga guru by several doctors’ associations for allegedly spreading misinformation concerning the use of Patanjali’s Coronil for Covid-19, said that his concern was also to save the good reputation of Ayurveda which is an ancient system of medicine.
“From the very beginning, my concern is only one. You are welcome to have your followers. But, please, do not mislead the public at large by saying more than what is official,” the judge stated. Several doctors’ associations moved to the high court last year, alleging that Ramdev was misleading and misrepresenting to the public at large that allopathy was responsible for the deaths of many infected by Covid-19 while claiming that Coronil was a cure for the virus.
Senior advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for the plaintiff associations, told the court that even recently, Ramdev made statements in public advertising Coronil as a treatment for Covid-19 and also suggesting the inefficacy of vaccines against the virus.
Sibal submitted that the license granted to Coronil ‘does not mention Covid-19 at all’ and only speak about it being an immunity booster and having Ayurvedic ingredients. The court was informed that in certain statements by Ramdev, reference was also made to a leader of a foreign nation contracting Covid-19 even after being vaccinated.