New Delhi, June 3 (Yes Punjab) The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) if allopathy was so fragile to be dented by the opinion held by yoga guru Ramdev, his statements against allopathic medicines and also his claims that Patanjali’s Coronil kit is a cure for Covid-19.
However, the court issued summons to Ramdev on the DMA’s plea, but declined to restrain him at this stage.
Justice C. Hari Shankar said: “If I feel some science is fake… Tomorrow I will feel homeopathy is fake. Do you mean they will file a suit against me? I put in on Twitter. You will say take down the Twitter account.”
The court emphasised that it is public opinion and has to be tested on the touchstone of free speech. “I do not think your allopathic profession is so fragile,” the court told the DMA’s counsel Rajiv Dutta.
Orally asking the yoga guru not to make any provocative statement, the court issued summons to Ramdev on the suit filed by the DMA and sought response in three weeks. It has listed the matter for further hearing on July 13.
The DMA, on behalf of its doctor members, argued that Ramdev’s statement affects them as Coronil does not cure coronavirus and it is misleading. As the court queried DMA counsel how Ramdev’s statement affect the association, Dutta said Coronil does not cure coronavirus, and this was a suit for civil rights of doctors. The DMA has claimed token damage of Re 1 from him.
The court told DMA counsel that that the association’s members should be spending time to find cure for the pandemic instead of wasting the court’s time.
DMA counsel said Ramdev’s statements was affecting the public and also the members of the association as he was calling this science fake. The court responded that someone has a view and this comes under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.
Senior advocate Rajiv Nayar, representing Ramdev, raised preliminary objection on the maintainability of the plea. Nayar contended prima facie the suit was not maintainable, as the petitioner is asking for an injunction and raising the ground of public good.
