The Supreme Court on Friday, 30 November, issued notice to Yoga guru Ramdev on a plea by a publisher challenging the Delhi High Court's verdict restraining sale and publication of a book, named ‘Godman To Tycoon’, purportedly on his life.
The High court had passed the restraining order after Ramdev claimed that the book had defamatory content.
The apex court listed the matter for further hearing in the first week of February next year.
"We will issue notice to Respondent 1 (Ramdev)," a bench of justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta told PTI.
The publisher, Juggernaut Books, approached the apex court challenging the high court's 29 September judgement.
Earlier in September, Ramdev had filed the plea in the High Court against the book titled 'Godman To Tycoon', saying the book, purportedly on his life, had defamatory content and harmed his economic interests and reputation.
Listening to his plea, Justice Anu Malhotra, in her 211-page order, had observed that the right to freedom of speech and expression did not permit using defamatory insinuations against the yoga guru. The Court had said that Baba Ramdev was entitled to be treated with dignity and has a right of social reputation as an ordinary citizen even if he is a public figure, IANS reported.
The High Court had then observed that if some portions of the book continue to be in operation, then it would cause irreparable loss to Baba Ramdev. The court had then ordered deletion of contents related to disappearance of Swami Shankar Dev and the murder of the Swami Yogananda observing no material evidence is indicated or exists against Baba Ramdev in relation to these two issues, IANS reported.
(With inputs from PTI)
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