Rohtak court summons Ramdev over ‘beheading’ remark

ROHTAK: A local court on Thursday summoned yoga guru Ramdev as an accused under Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for April 29, almost a year after his “beheading remark” in the district.

Courting controversy, Ramdev had, on April 3 last year, said “If not for law, I would have beheaded lakhs of people refusing to chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai.” He was addressing a gathering at the RSS-backed Sadbhawana Rally. The rally was organised to promote peace in a city that had witnessed unprecedented violence during Jat stir and Ramdev was responding to the comment made by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi who had said he will not chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai even if a knife is put to his throat. A day after he gave the statement, local Congress leader Subhash Batra submitted a complaint to the police to book him for sedition.

Batra later moved court, seeking FIR an when the police didn’t act. During the hearing on February 27, Supreme Court lawyer RK Anand argued the case from Congress leader’s side, when the court had asked for a precedent in such case. “During today’s hearing, Anand sent Supreme Court judgements as reference after which court of Harish Goyal summoned Ramdev as accused for April 29. He will have to seek bail on the same day,” Batra’s counsel OP Chugh said.

Notably, Ramdev had already been booked under Section 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) in Hyderabad for the same comment made in Rohtak.

Earlier, the Congress leader had accused the police for not booking Ramdev as he was appointed as the brand ambassador of Haryana by the BJP government.