In a setback for yoga guru Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurveda’s managing director Balkrishna, the Supreme Court (SC) on April 10, declined to accept their affidavits offering unconditional apologies for publishing misleading advertisements. The court remarked that it was ‘not blind’ and that the apologies only surfaced after being ‘caught on the wrong foot.’ The case is scheduled for its next hearing on April 16.
Furthermore, the court strongly rebuked the State Licensing Authority for its lack of action on the matter, emphasising that it will not tolerate such negligence. “We will rip you apart. Do you have the guts to do what you are doing? You are acting as a post office,” the bench said in an unusually stern reprimand.
The court also criticised the Uttarakhand government for its failure to address Patanjali Ayurveda’s violations of the law.
Who filed the petition?
In August 2022, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) lodged a petition in the Supreme Court following Patanjali’s release of an advertisement titled ‘Misconceptions Spread By Allopathy: Save Yourself And The Country From The Misconceptions Spread By Pharma And Medical Industry.’
The petition cited instances where Ramdev referred to allopathy as a “stupid and bankrupt science” and asserted that allopathic medicine was accountable for COVID-19 fatalities. Additionally, the IMA accused Patanjali of fueling vaccine hesitancy during the pandemic. The IMA emphasised that the “persistent, methodical, and unchecked dissemination of misinformation” coincides with Patanjali’s endeavours to propagate false and unsubstantiated claims regarding the efficacy of certain Patanjali products in curing diseases.
Significantly, Dr. Johnrose Austin Jayalal assumed the position of national president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in December 2020 during its 95th annual national conference convened in Chennai. Concurrently, as the petition was filed against Patanjali, he presided over the organisation.
Meet Dr. Johnrose Austin Jayalal, a dedicated evangelist
Dr. Johnrose Jayalal’s interview with the American evangelical news outlet Christianity Today back in 2021, revealed startling insights into his approach. As the leader of the nation’s most influential medical advocacy group, he advocated for leveraging secular environments such as hospitals and medical colleges to facilitate the conversion of medical students, doctors, and patients to Christianity.
Here are some excerpts from the interview:
Dr. Johnrose advocated for the dissemination of Christianity regardless of one’s profession. Contrary to the notion that professions such as medicine, law enforcement, and bureaucracy should confine religious activities to the private domain, he asserted otherwise.
You can be a Christian police officer or work in the revenue department. The place does not decide how you are going to be a Christian. It is your relationship with God Almighty. When we have a relationship with the Father above, we know who we are and who is our master.
The opportunity in front of every Christian is splendid. It is not solely the responsibility of the pastor; it is that every Christian who is born again and who has experienced the love and affection of God Almighty will respond to the calling to go and preach the gospel.
I am able to see, even amid persecution, even amid difficulties, even amid the control by the government, even among the restrictions we face in openly proclaiming the message, by various means and ways, Christianity is growing.
Beyond mere physical treatment, he asserted that the foremost duty of a Christian doctor is to administer ‘spiritual healing’. Additionally, he advocated for an increased presence of Christian doctors within secular institutions and medical colleges to propagate ‘Christian healing’ and influence (indoctrinate) students and interns.
I firmly believe that wherever you are or whatever position you are, you can be a Christian doctor. Normally in the medical profession we talk about the physical curing. But as a Christian I believe we are not just here to physically cure, but God Almighty has called us to give holistic healing, which includes the spiritual healing, the mental healing, and the social healing.
My primary concern when I work as a Christian doctor is to ensure that I have time to talk about the mental well-being and spiritual healing of the person. We need more Christian doctors to work more in secular institutions, mission institutions, and medical colleges. I am working as a professor of surgery in a medical college, so it is also a good opportunity for me to carry on the principles of Christian healing there. I also have the privilege of mentoring graduates and the interns.
Following his criticism of Bharat for allegedly ‘persecuting’ Christians, Dr. Johnrose acknowledged that most Hindus are ‘soft-minded’ and observed that Bharat imposes fewer religious constraints on Christian missionaries and evangelists. Moreover, he contended that due to their polytheistic beliefs, Hindus were receptive to different deities. Essentially, he acknowledged that Hindu respect and tolerance for diverse spiritual traditions can be exploited to incite contempt against our own deities and facilitate conversions.
Most of the people are soft minded. There are fewer hardcore people, apart from the people who are in power. Often people are more understanding; people are more tolerant; people are more able to go along with them.
One of the things we must always remember is that Hinduism or Hindutva is different from other religions because of polytheism. They accept different gods. They have no difficulty in accepting or proclaiming that Jesus is one of the gods or Muhammad is one of the gods. So religious restrictions are less when comparing them with systems of other countries. I personally feel that it is not that difficult in India.
Indian Medical Association’s vigorous campaign against ‘mixopathy’, which alleged the blending of various branches of medical science by the ‘Hindu nationalist’ government was unacceptable. Additionally, the IMA had vehemently objected to Ayurvedic practitioners being granted permission to conduct certain surgeries and had engaged in conflicts with Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.
“The government of India, because of their cultural value and traditional belief in the Hindutva, believes in a system called Ayurveda. For the last three or four years, they have tried to replace modern medicine with this. Now, starting in 2030, you will have to study this alongside Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, homeopathy, yoga, and naturopathy. They want to make it one nation, one system of medicine. Next, they will want to make it one religion.
This is also based on a Sanskrit language, which is always traditionally based on the Hindu principles. This is an indirect way for the government to introduce the language of Sanskrit and language of Hindutva into the minds of the people.
He further explained that he opted to employ ‘fasting’ as a method to amplify the protests of allopathic doctors, suggesting that they should endure the hardship themselves, as fasting can lead one to a spiritual realm. Notably, fasting as a spiritual practice holds roots in ancient Hindu tradition.
Dr. Johnrose falsely asserted that only the Church has tended to the needs of individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds while denigrating the efforts of the central government. He disregarded the contributions of organisations like the RSS, Art of Living, Hindu temples, and other segments of civil society, all of which provided millions of free meals, supply kits, and other forms of assistance to underprivileged communities during the pandemic lockdown. These efforts held no significance in Dr. Johnrose’s prejudiced perspective.
The people on the lower level—yes, it was a problem, but most of the time it’s really the churches who were taking care of them. The government has not come forward to support them.
He commended extremist evangelist organizations such as Paul Dhinkaran’s “Jesus Calls” and Mohan Lazarus’ “Jesus Redeems,” despite their convictions for financial misconduct, FCRA fraud, and the illicit conversion of tribal communities through deception and inducement.
Two main groups, Jesus Calls and Jesus Redeems, were systematically conducting services at particular times
Many times, people had put their faith in materialistic things. But through the pandemic, they were really able to realize that our protection is only through the grace of God Almighty. But through the pandemic, they were really able to realize that our protection is only through the grace of God Almighty…It’s only the grace of God Almighty that helps us to get over the crisis and stay safe, and it was his grace that protected us.
He disparaged the efforts of countless non-Christian doctors and medical professionals who tirelessly served during the pandemic, with many making ultimate sacrifices in the line of duty. His insinuation that Christian doctors were more inclined to work in ICUs and care for critically ill patients undermines the dedication and sacrifice of all healthcare workers.
Not all doctors were willing to come forward and serve in the ICUs or areas where the most casualties were coming from. Many Christian doctors did come and serve in those areas and help.
When asked why Bharat fared relatively better in dealing with the pandemic compared to the West, Dr. Johnrose totally failed to acknowledge that Bharat, and other ‘less developed’ Asian countries like Vietnam, Thailand etc. too, responded more coherently, rapidly and effectively to the pandemic threat.
I personally feel God must have been distracted with the US and now he is focusing on India, and he is having some grace on us in India [laughing]. So we want to proclaim the message that it is the grace of God, and it is not by our power, not by our might, but by the grace of God that we are getting that positive response.
Furthermore, Dr. Johnrose Austin Jayalal was featured on ‘Haggai International’, an American evangelical group dedicated to “equipping and inspiring strategically positioned leaders to more effectively demonstrate and present the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to prepare others to do the same.”
“Mazhab nahi sikhata, aapas me bair rakhna,” said the court
When a petition was lodged against Jayalal, a Delhi court instructed Indian Medical Association (IMA) president Dr. J.A. Jayalal to refrain from using the organisation’s platform to promote any religion while dismissing a lawsuit against him for allegedly initiating a defamatory campaign against the Hindu religion.
“Mazhab nahi sikhata apas mein bair rakhna,” remarked the Delhi court while directing Dr. Jayalal not to utilise the IMA’s platform for religious propagation. The court cautioned him that individuals holding such responsible positions should refrain from making careless remarks.
The complainant, Rohit Jha, alleged that Jayalal, leveraging his position within the Indian Medical Association (IMA), was misguiding the nation and its citizens to convert Hindus to Christianity.
Referring to various articles and interviews featuring the IMA president, Jha sought a court order to prohibit Jayalal from writing, speaking in the media, or publishing any content defamatory to the Hindu religion or Ayurveda.
The district judge reprimanded the defendant, stating, “Individuals in positions of responsibility should refrain from making unguarded or careless remarks. The IMA is a prestigious institution…and its platform should not be utilized to promote an individual’s religious views.”
Furthermore, the judge referenced a couplet by poet Mohd. Iqbal – “Mazhab Nahi Sikhata Apas Mein Bair Rakhna; Hindi Hai Hum Watan Hai Hindustan Humara; Saare Jahan se Acha Hindustan Humara [Religion does not teach us to fight against each other. We are all Indians. Our India is the best.]” – to emphasize the importance of harmony and unity among different religious communities.
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