A Kerala court has issued bailable warrants against yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Patanjali CEO Acharya Balkrishna, and Divya Pharmacy in connection with allegations of misleading advertisements. The Judicial First Class Magistrate II in Palakkad issued the warrants on January 16 after the accused failed to appear in court despite being summoned for personal attendance.

The court's order stated: “Complainant absent. All accused absent served. Bailable warrant to all accused.”

The case involves advertisements published by Divya Pharmacy, a subsidiary of Patanjali Ayurved, which allegedly violated the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. The advertisements reportedly made unverified claims about curing diseases and criticized modern medicine, including allopathy.

A similar case is pending in the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kozhikode. Over the past two years, Patanjali and its founders have faced several legal challenges, including a high-profile plea by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) that led to a temporary ban on their advertisements by the Supreme Court.

In August 2024, the Supreme Court closed a contempt case against Patanjali following a public apology from Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna. However, legal disputes concerning their advertisements persist, with the Palakkad court scheduling the next hearing for February 1.