THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Following the Supreme Court’s verdict, yoga and Ayurveda guru Baba Ramdev will face legal proceedings in Kerala for allegedly misleading drug promotion. The Narcotics Control Bureau of the Kerala government is the first state agency to file a case to prosecute Baba Ramdev and his company, Divya Pharmacy. He is the third defendant named in the case after the pharmacy and Patanjali Ayurveda chairman Acharya Balkrishna. If convicted, the pair could face up to six months in prison and a fine.
In a case filed in Calicut’s First Class Magistrate Court IV, the agency said Divya Pharmacy advertised medicines claiming to cure impotence and diabetes. These are among the 54 diseases for which treatments should not be advertised under the Pharmaceutical and Magical Cures (Offensive Advertising) Act 1954.
The pharmacy had been repeatedly accused of violating the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law, but was spared prosecution because it was difficult to prosecute. But this time, drug regulators were emboldened by the Supreme Court’s intervention. Narcotics Controller General Dr K Sujit Kumar has ordered a thorough search across the state involving 40 inspectors to bust violations. Twenty violations were found in the Calicut region alone, which is the basis of the ministry’s case.
Additional Narcotics Controller General Shaji Varghese has sent a special team to Delhi to trace those responsible for the advertisement. The case was initiated on the basis of a complaint filed by Kannur-based health activist Dr Babu KV.
“Patanjali’s repeated advertisements, including encouraging patients to stop taking insulin for type 1 diabetes and switch to its own products, have led to serious incidents such as parents discontinuing their children’s insulin. This could lead to a major public health crisis.We are confident that the decisive intervention of the Supreme Court and the prosecution by the Kerala Drug Authority will bring an end to the continued illegal advertising by Patanjali and other Ayurvedic companies. ” said Dr. Babu, who also played a crucial role in the case against Baba Ramdev. SC.
Since 2022, he has filed more than 100 RTI applications and complaints to stop Divya Pharmacy from allegedly promoting illegal drugs.
third defendant in this case
The Narcotics Control Bureau of the Kerala government has become the first state agency to file a case to prosecute Baba Ramdev and the Divya Pharmacy he founded. He is the third defendant named in the case after the pharmacy and Patanjali Ayurveda chairman Acharya Balkrishna.
