Supreme Court expresses displeasure over 'miniscule' 'illegible' size of apology by IMA chief

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed displeasure with "miniscule" font size of the apology published by R V Asokan, President of the Indian Medical Association in newspapers, to purge his contempt proceedings for remarks against the top court during the hearing in a case against Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev.

"We can't read it. It is miniscule and illegible. We aren't able to read this," a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta said after examining digital copies of the apologies published by Asokan in a section of newspapers.

Having noted that the ad size was about 0.01 cm, the court asked IMA's counsel senior advocate P S Patwalia to furnish the hard copies of the newspapers which published Asokan's apology, within a week.

The counsel said Asokan was genuinely sorry and he is present here. He is a responsible doctor. He made that statement and he has regretted since then. He is willing to give the apology here, Patwalia said.

"He is not obliging anyone by apology," the bench observed.

On August 6, the Supreme Court had questioned the Indian Medical Association, President as to why he has tendered his apology to only to its e-newspaper and a news agency for his remarks.

It told him in an unambiguous terms that 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.

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 case 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.