Muzaffarpur: A criminal complaint has been filed in a Bihar court against yoga guru Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved MD Acharya Balkrishna. The complainant has alleged that Ramdev and Balkrishna have misled and put at risk the lives of lakhs of people. They have done so by claiming to have developed a medicine to treat COVID-19.
Nature of complaint
The complaint is seeking registration of an FIR on cheating, criminal conspiracy and other charges. It was filed in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Mukesh Kumar here Wednesday by Tamanna Hashmi. The latter identifies himself as a social worker. He is often in news for his numerous court complaints against politicians over various issues. The court posted the matter for hearing on June 30.
The complainant has named Ramdev, the convenor of the Patanjali Research Institute, and Balkrishna, the organisation’s chairman, as accused.
Misleading information
Hashmi submitted that Ramdev and Balkrishna claimed to have prepared ‘Coronil tablet’ to cure COVID-19. However, the information is misleading, he said. The complainant submitted that Ayush Ministry has asked Patanjali Ayurved to stop advertising and publicising its claims about the medicine. The Ayush Ministry has said they have not been provided any information. This is in regard to the details of the composition of the ayurvedic medicine, Hashmi said.
The complainant has sought registration of a case under IPC sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty inducing delivery of property). Also 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), have been included in the complaint.
Launch of new drug
Ramdev’s herbal medicine company ‘Patanjali Ayurved’ launched ‘Coronil tablet’ and ‘Swasari vati’ medicines Tuesday. The company claimed they can cure the highly contagious disease within seven days. It has also claimed that the two Ayurveda-based medicines have shown 100 per cent favourable results during clinical trials. The trials were carried out on COVID-19 infected patients except those on a life support system.
AYUSH Ministry order
However, the AYUSH Ministry said that the facts of the claim and details of the stated scientific study are not known to it. It has sought from the company a detailed report on composition, testing and other data of the drugs. The ministry also used powers under a 1954 law to ask the firm to ‘stop advertising/publicising’ claims of the corona cure drug.
A government notification bars companies from advertising a cure without government approval. But it wasn’t immediately clear if the drug can still be sold.
Ramdev’s claim
Ramdev said the medicines have been developed by Patanjali Research Center, Haridwar. It has worked with privately-owned National Institute of Medical Science, Jaipur to produce the medicines. Protocols were followed stringently during the clinical trials.