Kerala court issues non-bailable warrants against Ramdev, Balakrishna

A court in Kerala’s Palakkad issued non-bailable warrants against Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishna on Monday after they failed to appear in a criminal case concerning allegedly misleading medical advertisements.

The court had previously issued a bailable warrant, ordering their appearance on Saturday, 1 February. However, as they failed to attend, the court escalated the matter by issuing non-bailable warrants. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for 15 February. Prior to this, the same court had issued a summons for their appearance on 16 January, but their failure to attend led to the issuance of the bailable warrant.

The judicial first class magistrate II in Palakkad has now issued the non-bailable arrest warrants against yoga guru Baba Ramdev, his associate Acharya Balakrishna, and Divya Pharmacy, the marketing arm of their Haridwar-based pharmaceutical company Patanjali Ayurved, in connection with the misleading advertisements case.

The case was filed by the drugs inspector of Palakkad in October 2024 under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. It relates to Patanjali’s misleading advertisements in the media, falsely claiming that their products could cure high blood pressure and diabetes.

Similar cases are pending in Kozhikode (Kerala) and Haridwar (Uttarakhand), with multiple summonses having been issued.

The complaint filed by the Kerala drugs inspector targets Divya Pharmacy, a subsidiary of Patanjali Ayurved, alleging violations under section 3 of the Act, which prohibits advertisements for certain drugs claiming to treat specific diseases. Additionally, section 3(b) bans advertisements promoting enhanced sexual pleasure, while section 3(d) prohibits ads claiming to diagnose, cure, or prevent diseases listed under the Act.

In this case, Divya Pharmacy is named as the first accused, with Acharya Balakrishna as the second and Baba Ramdev as the third.

Patanjali Ayurved has previously faced legal challenges over misleading advertisements. The Supreme Court had issued a contempt notice against the company for disparaging modern medicine, particularly allopathy, and for making unverified claims regarding cures for various diseases. This case was eventually closed after Ramdev, Balakrishna, and Patanjali Ayurved issued a public apology.