India's Supreme Court has admonished the head of a state drugs regulator for failing to take action against a popular yoga guru Baba Ramdev's firm which claimed its traditional ayurvedic medicines can cure diseases such as diabetes and asthma.
The top court said on Wednesday the state drugs department had "tried to pass on the buck" despite being informed in 2018 of advertisements issued by Divya Pharmacy, a unit of yoga guru's hugely popular firm Patanjali Ayurved.
Ramdev, dressed in a saffron-coloured robe, attended the hearing of a contempt case against Patanjali for defying court directives to stop publishing the ads.
Mithilesh Kumar, the head of Uttarakhand state drugs regulator, also attended the session. With folded hands, he pleaded with the judges to give him more time to take action against the company, which the judges refused.
"Why should we not come down on your officers like a ton of bricks?" Justice Hima Kohli asked the Uttarakhand state counsel.
"Instead of taking action, the state licensing authority told (the federal government) that it has issued a warning to the concerned firm and further action will be subject to the direction of the Supreme Court," Kohli said.
Ramdev is one of India's top yoga gurus and offers ayurvedic cures for many illnesses through his TV shows. He has also shared the stage with ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the past.
The two-judge bench said the drugs authority remained in "deep slumber" on the issue and had failed to act after issuing a warning to the firm over the advertisements.
The bench also refused to accept a second apology by Ramdev and Patanjali co-founder Acharya Balkrishna for defying the court's order. It set April 16 as the next date for the hearing. (Reuters)
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)