Delhi HC: Plea against Ramdev by doctors' association can't be thrown out

The Delhi High Court Monday said a suit filed by several doctors' associations against Yoga guru Ramdev for allegedly spreading misinformation against allopathy amid the COVID-19 pandemic deserves consideration and cannot be “thrown out” at the first stage.

Justice C Hari Shankar said that the court needs “to see if the complaint make out a case to be entertained’

The court listed the matter on October 27 to enable the counsel for Ramdev to make his submissions.

The doctors’ association alleged that Ramdev was misleading the public at large by claiming that allopathy was responsible for the deaths of several people infected by COVID-19, and insinuating that allopathic doctors were causing the deaths of the patients.

Senior counsel Akhil Sibal, representing the associations, said that amid a pandemic, the Yoga Gugu made unsubstantiated claims on Coronil being a cure for COVID-19. Sibal claimed that Ramdev's statements were not “bonafide opinions” but were made for marketing and commercial use and added that ‘commercial speech comes with some responsibility’

The court however observed that ‘everyone has a right to commercial gain and that ‘making a profit is not a public nuisance’.