The Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to close the proceedings against former Indian Medical Association (IMA) president R V Asokan, following his remarks on the apex court in an April 2024 interview. Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan accepted Asokan’s unconditional apology and reviewed the affidavits he submitted. “In view of the apology tendered and affidavits filed…, no further action is contemplated,” the bench stated, concluding the matter.
The controversy stemmed from Asokan’s comments during an interview with news agency editors for the program “@4 Parliament Street,” where he labeled as “unfortunate” the Supreme Court’s criticism of the medical body and certain private medical practices. This interview was in response to queries about the court’s observations in a case involving misleading advertisements by Patanjali Ayurved Ltd.
The case dated back to 2022, when the IMA filed a plea against Patanjali, accusing it of running a smear campaign against the Covid vaccination drive and modern medicine. During a hearing on April 23, 2024, the Supreme Court pointedly remarked that while one finger was pointed at Patanjali, the remaining four were directed at the IMA, triggering a sensitive dialogue about the conduct and perception of medical professionals in India.
Asokan’s comments, made just days before the court was scheduled to continue hearing the matter in May 2024, prompted Patanjali Ayurved Ltd to request the court to take judicial notice of his statements, which was viewed as potentially prejudicial.
During the final hearing, senior advocate P.S. Patwalia, representing Asokan, emphasized his client’s efforts to publicly rectify his mistake, noting, “I (Asokan) have published it in the newspapers. I have published it on the website. It is on the IMA newsletter also, and I have placed the newspapers also on record.”
