Swami Ramdev In Coronil Dispute

New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday stepped-in as counsels for yoga guru Ramdev and doctors' body had heated argument, on former's plea seeking a stay on proceedings in connection with multiple FIRs lodged over his alleged remarks against the use of allopathic medicines during the COVID pandemic.A bench comprising Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, justices A.S. Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy noted that the court had received material connected with the case at around 11 p.m. on Sunday night. "We got bulky files having copies of statements and videos", said the bench.The apex court was scheduled to examine on Monday, the original records of Ramdev's statement on the use of allopathic medicine following his plea to stay investigation and transfer the cases against him to Delhi.Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Ramdev, requested the bench to hear the matter on Friday. Senior advocate Rajiv Dutta, appearing for Delhi Medical Association (DMA), which has filed an impleadment application in the matter submitted that his client has created a chart citing all statements made by Ramdev. DMA has called Ramdev a "businessman" clad as a "yoga guru" and claimed that he does not have any degree or license to practice Ayurveda and prescribe medicines.The bench said: "we are not doing anything. We are posting it for next week." Senior advocate P.S. Patwalia, representing the Indian Medical Association and one of the respondents in the matter, submitted that his client has also filed all extracts of Ramdev's statement in its application.At this juncture of the hearing, Rohatgi opposed the application, and said, "They have no role in filing all this". Dutta rebutted, "Don't say, we have no role. What you are stating (in the petition) is all false". The bench intervened, "Don't quarrel". The bench said it may take up the matter on July 12.Ramdev alleged that the IMA has unleashed barrage of cases, civil and criminal, against him via its different chapters in the country.On June 30, Rohatgi had submitted that FIRs have been filed in different parts of the country against his client, and urged the court to club these FIRs, and have a single case in Delhi. He added that his client had launched Coronil for Covid last year, and all the doctors went against him.The bench had asked Rohatgi, "what is the original thing that you spoke?" He had responded, "I will file original video and transcript". After hearing arguments, the top court had scheduled the matter for further hearing on July 12.In the plea, Ramdev sought transfer of FIRs lodged by IMA in Patna and Raipur to Delhi. He has been booked under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to transmit infection of disease dangerous to life), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the IPC and other provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005.The voluntary body of doctors accused him of spreading false information in connection with the Allopathic treatment for Covid patients. On May 23, Ramdev had withdrawn his statements on Allopathic medicine after receiving a strong-worded letter from Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who termed his remarks as "inappropriate".--IANSss/skp/

New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has moved the Supreme Court against yoga guru Ramdevs plea seeking a stay on the proceedings against him in connection with the multiple FIRs lodged over his alleged remarks against the use of allopathic medicines during the Covid-19 pandemic.DMA has called Ramdev a "businessman clad as a ‘yog guru'" and claimed that he does not have any degree or licence to practice Ayurveda and prescribe medicines.The medical body contended that Ramdev has insulted allopathy and "instigated" people to disregard Covid vaccines and treatment protocols.On June 30, a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana had asked Ramdev to bring on record original version of his statement allegedly made against the use of allopathic medicine for treating Covid patients.The DMA claimed that Patanjali has earned over Rs 1,000 crore by selling Coronil kits, which were not approved by the medical bodies. "While the entire medical fraternity of the country was fighting the deadly pandemic in unity and were trying to educate the public about the Covid vaccines and correct course of treatment, Ramdev, shockingly, started a false propaganda against Covid vaccines and the treatment protocol for coronavirus with the mala fide intent to promote the sale of products, namely the Coronil kit," said the plea seeking to intervene as a party, which was filed through lawyer Ashish Kothari.The plea contended that Ramdev referred the modern medical system i.e. allopathic science as "Tamasha" and "Stupid Science". The plea added that Ramdev made comments that the doctors who are treating Covid patients don't know anything and claimed that even without a degree, he is a better doctor than the qualified doctors. "By insulting allopathy and allopathic doctors, Ramdev attempted to create a false narrative that ayurveda is a better science than allopathic science and instigated people to disregard ‘allopathic' vaccines and Covid treatment protocols issued by the Central government," the plea added.The plea contended that Ramdev's intent was to create artificial rivalry between allopathy and ayurveda, and he wanted to cast a doubt in the minds of the people against the effectiveness of Covid vaccines and treatment protocols.The doctors' body alleged that it was a methodology to encourage people to buy Coronil Kit, which he (Ramdev) falsely propagated as ‘Ayurvedic preparations'.The Patna and Raipur chapters of the Indian Medical Association have lodged complaints against Ramdev, alleging that his remarks are likely to cause prejudice to the Covid control mechanism.Ramdev, in his plea, has sought the clubbing of the FIRs in Patna and Raipur and urged the top court that a single FIR should be there in Delhi.--IANSss/arm

New Delhi, June 23 (IANS) Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay on proceedings in multiple FIRs lodged against him over his remarks against the use of allopathic medicine in treatment of Covid patients during the ongoing pandemic.In the plea, Ramdev sought transfer of FIRs lodged against by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in Patna and Raipur to Delhi. He has been booked under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to aa infection of disease dangerous to life), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the IPC and other provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005.The voluntary body of doctors accused him of spreading false information in connection with allopathic treatment for Covid patients. On May 23, Ramdev had withdrawn his statements on allopathic medicine after receiving a strong-worded letter from Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who termed his remarks as "inappropriate".According to the IMA complaint, Ramdev has allegedly been propagating false information on social media platforms against medicines being used by the medical fraternity, the Indian government, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and other frontline organisations invoved in the treatment of Covid patients.--IANSss/vd

Kathmandu, June 8 (IANS) Coronil, the so-called immunity booster kit manufactured by yoga guru Ramdevs Patanjali group in India, has landed in a controversy in Nepal after the Himalayan nations Department of Ayurveda and Alternative Medicine imposed a ban on its distribution.The Health Ministry of Nepal, however, has remained silent over the ongoing controversy regarding the distribution of Coronil kits, which have also landed in controversy in India and Bhutan. The controversy erupted in Nepal after the Patanjai Yoghpeeth on last Thursday handed over Coronil kits, sanitisers, masks and other immunity booster medicines worth crores of rupees to outgoing Health Minister, Hrydesh Tripathi. The day after he received the support from local officials of the Patanjali Yogpeeth Nepal, Tripathi was removed as the Health Minister. "The Coronil kits provided by the Patanjali Yogpeeth did not receive permission from the Department of Drug Administration, so we have decided not to distribute it," Basudev Upadhyay, the Director General of the Department of Ayurveda and Alternative Medicine, said in a press conference. "The Coronil kit could be beneficial for the treatment of respiratory disorders, but it has not taken permission from the Department of Drug Administration, so we cannot distribute it," Upadhyay added.As per the Nepali law, any drug can be imported only after obtaining permission from the DDA.Meanwhile, the spokesperson at Nepal's Health Ministry, Krishna Poudel, told IANS that he is not aware about the distribution of Coronil kits in Nepal. "We do not know if the outgoing Health Minister Tripathi accepted the support. We have heard that it is yet to get permission from the DDA," said Poudel."Coronil is not registered with the DDA and it cannot be distributed or sold out without registration," DDA spokesperson Santosh K.C. told IANS. "We have not received any document for its registration as well as seeking permission for selling out in Nepal. We do not know how the former Health Minister accepted the donation. We have not received any letter from the Health Ministry to grant permission for its distribution," he said. Meanwhile, Patanjai Yogpeeth said that the consignment of 1,500 Coronil kits was provided upon the request from the government of Nepal.Officials at Nepal's Health Ministry said that officials from Patanjali Yogpeeth in Nepal and India had approached former Health Minister Tripathi directly, handing over some documents that received permission from the government of India for its distribution and provision of selling for the general public as an immunity booster. The Bhutan government had already rejected the support provided by Patanjali.--IANSstr/arm