The Delhi High Court has reserved its order on a contentious plea by several doctors’ associations challenging yoga guru Ramdev’s claims regarding ‘Coronil’ as a COVID-19 cure. The plea is part of a broader 2021 lawsuit targeting Ramdev, his associate Acharya Balkrishna, and their company Patanjali Ayurveda for promoting Coronil as a definitive cure for COVID-19 rather than merely an immunity booster.
This legal action seeks to compel the removal of Ramdev’s statements from various media outlets, asserting that these claims are unsupported by the drug’s licensed purpose as an immune booster. The senior counsel representing the doctors emphasized the need for a court directive to prevent Ramdev and his associates from making further similar claims.
During the proceedings, Ramdev’s legal representative referenced a prior commitment made in the Supreme Court concerning the advertising of Patanjali products, indicating a willingness to extend this pledge to the current case. However, the plaintiffs’ counsel insisted on a specific court order on their interim application, highlighting that the undertaking to the apex court concerned preventing “causal statements” that breach legal standards.
Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani acknowledged the case’s focus on “specific instances” before reserving his decision.
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The lawsuit was initiated by associations from several prestigious institutions, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh, Patna, and Bhubaneswar, as well as the Association of Resident Doctors at Chandigarh’s Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, and others. Filed by advocate Harshavardhan Kotla, the suit argues that Ramdev, leveraging his influence, has cast doubt on the effectiveness of allopathic treatments and COVID-19 vaccines, thereby propagating misinformation to boost Coronil sales.
