Delhi HC Orders Baba Ramdev To Retract Coronil Covid 19 Cure Claims

The Delhi High Court instructed Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna to withdraw their claims that Coronil is a 'cure' for COVID-19 within three days. This directive comes amid rising scrutiny over the effectiveness of Patanjali's products. 

Additionally, the court has ordered Baba Ramdev to retract statements attributing the deaths of numerous individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic to allopathic doctors.

Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said, "I have directed the defendants to take down certain tweets in three days, if they fail to do it, the social media intermediaries will take down the content," as per reports.

On Monday, the Delhi High Court ordered Baba Ramdev to publicly retract his claims that Coronil is a 'cure' for Covid-19, clarifying that it is merely an immunity booster. The ruling is part of a 2021 lawsuit filed by various doctors' associations against Ramdev, his associate Balkrishna and Patanjali Ayurveda.

Previously, the Bombay High Court instructed Patanjali to deposit Rs 50 lakh for violating an interim order.

The lawsuit argues that Ramdev made 'unsubstantiated claims' about Coronil being a Covid-19 cure, which contradicts the licence granted to the drug that only identifies it as an 'immuno-booster'. The senior counsel for the doctors requested an order preventing Ramdev and others from making similar claims in the future.

The doctors' associations accused Baba Ramdev of orchestrating a misinformation campaign to boost sales of his products, including Coronil. The complainants in the lawsuit include the Resident Doctors' Association of AIIMS Rishikesh, Patna and Bhubaneswar, the Association of Resident Doctors of PGIMER Chandigarh, the Union of Resident Doctors of Punjab, the Resident Doctors' Association of Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College Meerut and the Telangana Junior Doctors' Association, Hyderabad.

Additionally, the Supreme Court has reserved its order on a contempt plea against Ramdev regarding misleading advertisements by Patanjali.