Complaints against Baba Ramdev “sponsored”: Centre claims before SC

New Delhi: The Supreme Court was on Tuesday informed that a closure report has been filed by Chhattisgarh Police in a case over yoga guru Ramdev's alleged remarks against the use of allopathic medicines during the Covid pandemic. Centre told the top court that the complaints against Ramdev were “sponsored”, PTI reported.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta brought the development to the notice of Justices M M Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma.

Mehta said the complaints against Ramdev appeared to have been "sponsored" by some interested groups.

Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, representing Ramdev, said that in line with the previous directions, Chhattisgarh filed its response, but Bihar has yet to do so.

The bench then adjourned the matter for December.

Previously, the complainants were asked to be impleaded as parties in his plea seeking a stay of the 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.

Ramdev impleaded the Centre, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and IMA as parties.

Dave earlier said his client 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 sought a stay on the investigation into the criminal complaints.

The IMA lodged complaints in Bihar and Chhattisgarh over Ramdev's remarks against the use of allopathic medicines during the pandemic.

The yoga guru was booked under various provisions of the IPC and the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

Ramdev, whose statements stirred a nationwide debate on Allopathy versus Ayurveda, had, however, withdrawn them after receiving a letter from then Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who called his remarks "inappropriate".