‘Honeymoon’ remarks on Rahul: SC stays proceedings against Ramdev

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed all proceedings against yoga guru Ramdev in different parts of the country for his controversial ‘honeymoon’ remarks targeting Rahul Gandhi over visiting homes of Dalits.

A Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice RM Lodha also issued notice to police in all states which have registered cases against Ramdev.

‘It is clarified that we are not making any opinion on the merits of the case,’ the Supreme Court bench observed.

The court’s order came on a petition filed by Ramdev seeking directions restraining any coercive action him and for clubbing all FIRs lodged in different parts of the country for his controversial ‘honeymoon’ remark.

Senior Supreme Court advocate Mukul Rohatgi and advocate Keshav Mohan had earlier submitted that complaints and FIRs arising out of comments made on 25 April at Ramdev’s press conference be clubbed and be dealt in Lucknow or any place of the choice of the apex court. 

Baba Ramdev has also sought that the courts and police should be restrained from taking any coercive action against him in pursuance of the FIRs lodged against him.

The first FIR was lodged against Ramdev at Mahanagar police station in Lucknow under section of 171(g) (false statement in connection with an election) of the IPC for his remarks against the Congress vice-president, which had sparked outrage with several parties and organisations terming them as ‘anti-Dalit’.

The FIR was lodged by police after analysing the video footage of Ramdev’s statement and later FIRs were lodged in some other states.