Delhi HC restrains sale of 'Godman to Tycoon: The Untold Story of Baba Ramdev'

The Delhi High Court has restrained the publication and sale of Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev's book 'Godman to Tycoon: The Untold Story of Baba Ramdev' until the publisher deletes some defamatory portion.

The right to freedom of speech and expression does not permit using defamatory insinuations against the yoga guru, reported IANS quoting Justice Anu Malhotra.

The judge made the observations in her 211-page order, saying that Baba Ramdev is entitled to be treated with dignity and has a right of social reputation as an ordinary citizen even if he is a public figure.

"...Portions of the book which make readers think that he is an ambitious villain, until so proved in the court of law, are necessarily to be restrained from being published and distributed for sale till disposal of the suit ...pending before the civil judge, Karkardooma Courts Delhi," Justice Malhotra said.

In April 2018, the court had lifted injunction restraining Juggernaut Books from publishing and selling author Priyanka Pathak-Narain's book which investigates the journey of Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev.

In August 2017, in an interim injunction, the court had barred Juggernaut Books from publishing the book  — and had also restrained Amazon and Flipkart from selling the book.

Earlier in July 2017, the author Priyanka Pathak-Narain had said, "When the idea for a book on Baba Ramdev and his company came up, it seemed promising. I had followed Ramdev’s rise ten years ago when I was at Mint, meeting him on multiple occasions."

She further added, "I had set off expecting to discover a rags-to-riches tale, of how a boy with no formal education became a national hero and tycoon through sheer grit, determination, hard work and conviction. I did find a portion of that story. But I also found much more."