Delhi HC stays sale of book on Ramdev until ‘defamatory’ parts are removed
New Delhi, Sep 30: The Delhi High Court on Saturday restrained the publication and sale of a book about yoga guru Ramdev, saying that certain portions of the book were defamatory to him, IANS reported.
Justice Anu Malhotra, in her 211-page order, observed that the right to freedom of speech and expression does not permit using defamatory insinuations against the yoga guru.
Ramdev had filed a petition against a local court's order lifting the ban on Godman to Tycoon: The Untold Story of Baba Ramdev.
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The book, written by Priyanka Pathak-Narain and published by M/s Juggernaut Books, investigates the past of the yoga evangelist and businessman, whose business interests currently include the Patanjali Group and had earlier included the Astha TV channel. Among other subjects, it also follows the trail of the deaths and disappearance of people closely connected with Ramdev.
The Delhi High Court ordered the deletion of references to the disappearance of Swami Shankar Dev and the murder of the Swami Yogananda, stating that there was no evidence to support Ramdev's connection to the two matters.
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The book was published on July 29, 2017, but a civil court in Delhi restrained its publication and sale six days later.