“What about all the faceless people who have consumed these Patanjali medicines stated to cure diseases which cannot be cured?” These were the Supreme Court’s strong remarks in its brutal takedown of Uttarakhand authorities for inaction against Haridwar-based Patanjali Ayurved, founded by Yoga guru Ramdev and his aide Balkrishna.

The court’s remarks, which included a “post office” metaphor for state authorities and a “will rip you apart” warning, came as the bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice A Amanullah rejected apologies by Ramdev and Balkrishna and said it will pass an order on April 16. This comes after a nearly three-year fight of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) against misleading claims made by Ramdev and Patanjali.

Here’s a look at how the case unfolded:

The Beginning: Coronil’s Launch

In February 2021, just before the Covid’s Delta wave struck, Ramdev launched Patanjali’s Coronil, which he described as the “first evidence-based medicine for COVID-19”. The launch was attended by then Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, also a doctor. The poster at the even claimed that Coronoil holds a certificate of pharmaceutical product and is recognised by the WHO’s Good Manufacturing Practices. WHO, however, clarified that it had not reviewed or certified any traditional medicine to treat or prevent COVID-19.

IMA said it was shocked to note the “blatant lie” of WHO certification for a “secret medicine” launched in presence of the Health Minister. The country “needs an explanation” from the minister, it said.

Months later, a video of Ramdev was viral, in which he was heard saying that allopathy was a “stupid and bankrupt sign” that is “responsible for the deaths of lakhs of people”. He said no modern medicine was curing Covid. The IMA responded by sending a legal notice to Ramdev and seeking an apology and withdrawal of statements. It put out a statement, appealing to then Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to charge against the Yoga guru under the Epidemic Diseases Act. Under fire, Patanjali Yogpeeth responded that Ramdev was only reading out from a forwarded WhatsApp message and has no ill-will against modern science.

What Were Authorities Doing

According to a BBC report, Patanjali in December 2020 urged state authorities to change Coronil’s licence from an “immunity booster” to one for “medicine for Covid-19”. The next month, the company said the product got approval as a “supporting measure” against Covid.

The AYUSH Ministry and Uttarakhand state authorities had then confirmed to BBC that a new licence had been issued, but made clear that Coronil was “not a cure” for Covid. “The upgraded licence means it can be sold like zinc, vitamin C, multi-vitamins or any other supplemental medicines,” said Dr YS Rawat, then director of Uttarakhand traditional medicine department and state licensing authority. “It [Coronil] is not a cure,” he said.

The Centre has said in its reply to the Supreme Court that Patanjali had been told not to put out misleading advertisements till the matter is examined by the Ayush Ministry. It added that after a detailed interdisciplinary process, the State Licensing Authority was informed that Coronil tablet “may only be considered as supporting measure in Covid-19”. It also said the Centre has taken proactive steps with regard to false claims for Covid cure.

The Case

In August 2022, the IMA moved a petition against Patanjali after it published an advertisement in newspapers titled ‘Misconceptions Spread By Allopathy: Save Yourself And The Country From The Misconceptions Spread By Pharma And Medical Industry’. The ad claimed that Patanjali drugs had cured people of diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid, liver cirrhosis, arthritis and asthma.

Also mentioning his Ramdev’s earlier remarks on modern medicine, the doctors’ body said the “continuous, systematic, and unabated spread of misinformation” comes alongside Patanjali’s efforts to make false and unfounded claims about curing certain diseases through the use of Patanjali products.

As per law, the Drugs and Other Magical Remedies Act that regulates magic pill claims, lays down a jail term and fine for misleading advertisements.

On November 21, 2023, the Supreme Court warned Patanjali against claims that its products can completely cure ailments such as diabetes and high blood pressure and threatened to slap heavy fines.

Patanjali’s counsel, court documents say, had then assured that “henceforth, there shall not be any violation of any of the laws, especially relating to advertisement and branding of products”. He also assured the court that “no casual statements of claiming medicinal efficacy of any system of medicine will be released to the media in any form”.

What Has Happened Now

On January 15 this year, the Supreme Court received an anonymous letter addressed to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud with copies marked to Justice Kohli and Amanullah. The letter mentioned misleading advertisements Patanjali continued to put out. IMA’s counsel, Senior Advocate PS Patwalia, also showed the court newspaper advertisements after the November 21, 2023 warning and transcript of a press conference by Ramdev and Balkrishna right after the court’s hearing.

The court said, “Prima facie, this Court is of the opinion that the respondent no.5-Patanjali Ayurved Limited has violated the undertaking given by it and recorded in the order dated 21st November, 2023.”

It sought a reply from the company on why contempt proceedings should not be initiated. In strong remarks, the court said the “country is being taken for a ride” and said the government was “sitting with its eyes shut”.

In the next hearing, on March 19, the court was told that Patanjali had not filed the reply to the contempt notice. It then asked Ramdev and Balkrishna to appear in person. On March 21, Balkrishna, who is the managing director of Patanjali, issued an unqualified apology.

The Takedown

The court came down heavily on Ramdev and Balkrishna in its April 2 hearing for their “absolute defiance” over not filing proper affidavits over the misleading advertisements. The court observed that the ads are in the “teeth of law” and told them to be “ready for action”.

“You should have made sure that the solemn undertaking should have been in letter and spirit. We can also say that we are sorry for not accepting it. Your apology is not persuading this court. It is more of a lip service,” the Supreme Court said, rejecting their apology and asked to file affidavits within a week.

This set of apologies was rejected yesterday after the Supreme Court after the court noted that they were sent to the media first. “Till the matter hit the court, the contemnors did not find it fit to send us the affidavits. They sent it to the media first, till 7.30 pm yesterday it was not uploaded for us. They believe in publicity clearly,” Justice Kohli said.

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Patanjali founders, said he cannot speak for the registry and that the apologies had been served.

Justice Amanullah asked if the apology is “even heartfelt”. “Tendering apology is not enough. You should suffer the consequences for violating the court’s order. We do not want to be generous in this case,” he said.

The couple – Jahid Sheikh (38) and his 28-year-old wife Noorami – who reside at Mumbra in the city were arrested on Wednesday for the murder that occurred on March 18

Months after several Opposition leaders claimed that they received messages warning of “state-sponsored” hackers trying to access their iPhones, the tech giant is sending out a “mercenary spyware” alert to its users in 92 countries, including India. The notification was sent out late last night.

An Apple statement on the notification also mentions Pegasus spyware, which raised a political storm in 2021 over allegations that Opposition leaders were among those snooped on. Following Pegasus developer NSO group’s statement that its clients are only vetted governments and their agencies, the Opposition had asked the Centre to come clear on the issue. A Supreme Court panel did not find the spyware in the phones of the 29 complainants in the case.

“Mercenary Spyware”

The Apple statement says the notifications are designed to inform and assist users who may have been individually targeted by mercenary spyware attacks, “likely because of who they are or what they do”.

“Such attacks are vastly more complex than regular cybercriminal activity and consumer malware, as mercenary spyware attackers apply exceptional resources to target a very small number of specific individuals and their devices. Mercenary spyware attacks cost millions of dollars and often have a short shelf life, making them much harder to detect and prevent. The vast majority of users will never be targeted by such attacks,” it said.

Such attacks, Apple said, have “historically been associated with state actors, including private companies developing mercenary spyware on their behalf, such as Pegasus from the NSO Group”.

“Though deployed against a very small number of individuals – often journalists, activists, politicians, and diplomats – mercenary spyware attacks are ongoing and global. Since 2021, we have sent Apple threat notifications multiple times a year as we have detected these attacks, and to date we have notified users in over 150 countries in total,” it said.

How Apple Notifies Users

Detailing how it notifies users suspected to be under a mercenary spyware attack, the tech giant said, “A Threat Notification is displayed at the top of the page after the user signs into appleid.apple.com. Apple sends an email and iMessage notification to the email addresses and phone numbers associated with the user’s Apple ID.”

The notifications, it said, provide additional steps that users can take to help protect their devices, including enabling a “Lockdown Mode”.

Apple said it relies on internal threat-intelligence information and investigations to detect such attacks. “Although our investigations can never achieve absolute certainty, Apple threat notifications are high-confidence alerts that a user has been individually targeted by a mercenary spyware attack, and should be taken very seriously.”

What To Do

An Apple threat notification mail accessed by NDTV lists what’s to be done if a user has received such an alert. “Apple recommends that you immediately take these actions: enable Lockdown Mode right now on your iPhone in Settings > Privacy & Security > Lockdown Mode. This feature takes only a moment to turn on and offers the strongest protection for users like you who are individually targeted by the most sophisticated digital threats.”

The to-do list also asks the user to update the iPhone to the latest iOS version and also update any other Apple devices he/she may be using. The user is also advised to enable Lockdown Mode on any Mac or iPad he/she is using. The user is also suggested to seek expert help provided by the Digital Security Helpline of non-profit Access Now.

More Guidelines

Some mercenary spyware attacks, Apple said, require no interaction from you and others rely on tricking you into clicking a malicious link or opening an attachment in an email, SMS, or other message. “These attempts can be quite convincing, ranging from fake package-tracking

updates to custom-crafted, emotional appeals claiming a named family member is in danger. Be cautious with all links you receive, and don’t open any links or attachments from unexpected or unknown senders.”

The tech giant has also said that if a user has not received a threat notification, but has “good reason to believe” that he/she may be targeted, “you can enable Lockdown Mode on your Apple devices for additional protection”.

“Mercenary spyware attackers are often persistent and will likely also try to target you through other channels, devices, and accounts not associated with Apple. Experts can provide the best advice for your specific circumstance, but if you are unable to reach an expert, as an additional precaution, change your passwords for any sensitive websites and services that you have accessed from your iPhone. If these attacks were successful in compromising your iPhone, they may have stolen your credentials for other services,” it said.