Rohtak court summons Ramdev over 'beheading' remark

A court in Rohtak, Haryana, on Thursday summoned yoga guru Ramdev for his "beheading" remark made last year, directing him to appear before it on April 29.

The court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Harish Goyal issued summons to the yoga guru under sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke the breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, senior Supreme Court lawyer R K Anand, who argued the case recently on behalf of the complainant, said.

The complaint has been filed by Congress leader and former Haryana minister Subhash Batra, who sought registration of a FIR against Ramdev.

Batra said he had lodged a police complaint against Ramdev last year.

"However, as the police did not register a FIR, I approached the court," he said on Thursday.

Ramdev is Haryana's brand ambassador for the promotion of yoga and ayurveda.

While speaking at a function in Rohtak in April last year, he had said that but for the rule of law he would have "beheaded" lakhs of people for refusing to chant 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'.

His remarks had drawn sharp condemnation from various quarters, including opposition parties.

"Koi aadmi topi pehan kar ke khada ho jaata hai, bolta Bharat mata ki jai nahi bolunga, chahe meri gardan kaat do. Arrey, is desh mein kanoon hai, nahi toh teri ek ki kya, hum toh lakhon ki gardan kaat sakte hain (Somebody wearing a cap stands up and says he will not say Bharat mata ki jai even if you decapitate me. There is rule of law in this country, otherwise let alone one, we would behead lakhs," Ramdev had allegedly said without naming anyone.