'You are inviting more troubles,' Supreme Court warns IMA chief; tells him to publish apology in newspapers

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the Indian Medical Association President as to why he has tendered his apology to only to its e-newspaper and a news agency, saying the apology has to be published in all the newspapers which carried his interview and it must be on his funds and not from Association's coffers.

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta expressed displeasure with the nature of the apology tendered by IMA chief Dr R V Asokan in relation to his contemptuous remarks against the court in an interview.

The bench warned him, saying he was "inviting more trouble" for himself.

"You could not wash his hands off by sending an apology to the Press Trust of India (PTI). The apology has to be published in all the newspapers which carried his interview. The same (apology) has to be done using his own funds and not the funds of the IMA," the bench told him.

The bench made it categorical to him, "All those newspapers in which that interview is carried, you need to approach them to tender apology through your own pocket. Not IMA".

The bench fixed the matter for further hearing to August 27.

Senior Advocate P S Patwalia, appearing for the IMA, said that Dr Asokan would take appropriate steps to purge himself of the contempt of court charges.

On July 9, the Supreme Court was informed that a public apology has been published in media houses by Asokan, for his remarks against the top court with regard to the Patanjali hearing.

On May 14, 2024, the Supreme Court had reproached Asokan for making an "attack" on the institution by his remarks in an ongoing contempt proceedings against Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev and Patanjali's MD Acharya Balkrishna in misleading advertisements case.

In his statement, Asokan had reportedly said, "It does not behove the Supreme Court to take a broadside against the medical profession of the country which after all sacrificed so many lives for the Covid war."

The matter arose out a petition filed by the IMA in 2022 alleging a smear campaign by Patanjali and Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev against the Covid vaccination drive and modern systems of medicine.