Yoga guru Ramdev moves SC against multiple FIRs over his allopathy remarks

New Delhi: Yoga guru Ramdev on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the proceedings in multiple cases lodged against him in various states over his alleged remarks on the efficacy of allopathy in the treatment of COVID-19.

Ramdev has sought protection from coercive actions in FIRs lodged by Indian Medical Associations’ (IMA) Patna and Raipur branches, and transfer of FIRs to Delhi. He has also sought clubbing and consolidation of FIRs and stay of the proceedings.

Randev has been booked under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and other provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005.

In a video, Ramdev was allegedly heard saying, “Allopathy is a stupid science and medicines such as Remdesivir, Fabiflu, and other drugs approved by the Drugs Controller General of India have failed to treat COVID-19 patients.”

His remarks caused massive outrage and the IMA sent over a legal notice to him.

On June 16, police in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur registered an FIR based on a complaint filed by Raipur’s IMA unit against Ramdev for allegedly spreading “false” information about the medicines being used by the medical fraternity for the treatment of COVID-19.

As per the complaint, since over the last one year, Ramdev has been allegedly propagating false information and his threatening statements on social media against medicines being used by the medical fraternity, Government of India, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and other frontline organisations in the treatment of COVID-19 infection.

The complaint said that there are several videos of Ramdev on social media in which he had allegedly made such misleading remarks.