New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday (April 19) the state governments of Bihar and Chhattisgarh to inform it about the status of the FIRs and the charge-sheet filed against yoga guru Baba Ramdev.
The court was hearing his plea to combine the several FIRs filed against him in different states over his alleged remarks that modern medicine (allopathy) cannot cure Covid. The states were told to file their reports in two weeks. The court also Ramdev to implead the complainants as a party in his plea seeking stay of criminal proceedings.
The Patna and Raipur chapters of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) lodged complaints in 2021 alleging Ramdev's remarks were likely to cause prejudice to the Covid control mechanism and may dissuade people from availing proper treatment.
The bench of Justices M M Sundresh and P B Varale granted liberty to Ramdev to implead the complainants and posted the matter for hearing after the summer vacations of the apex court, which are starting from May 20.
In his plea, Ramdev has impleaded the Centre, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and IMA as parties. The top court had issued notice to them on October 9, 2023.
Earlier, senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for Ramdev, had said the yoga guru had made a statement in 2021 that he does not believe in allopathic medicines to which some doctors took offence and lodged multiple cases against him.
As an interim relief, Ramdev has sought a stay on the investigation into the criminal complaints.
The IMA has lodged complaints in Bihar and Chhattisgarh over Ramdev's remarks against the use of allopathic medicines during the pandemic. The yoga guru has been booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act, of 2005.
(With PTI, LiveLaw inputs)
