Ramdev's remarks on allopathy: Chhattisgarh Police has filed closure report, Centre tells SC
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New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court was on Tuesday informed that a closure report has been filed by Chhattisgarh Police in a case over yoga guru Ramdev's alleged remarks against the use of allopathic medicines during the Covid pandemic.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta brought the development to the notice of Justices M M Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma.
Mehta said the complaints against Ramdev appeared to have been "sponsored" by some interested groups.
Senior advocate Siddharth Dave, representing Ramdev, said in line with the previous directions, Chhattisgarh filed its response but Bihar was yet to do it.
The bench then adjourned the matter for December.
Previously, the complainants were asked to be impleaded as parties in his plea seeking stay of the criminal proceedings.
The Patna and Raipur chapters of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) lodged complaints in 2021 alleging Ramdev's remarks were likely to cause prejudice to Covid control mechanism and may dissuade people from availing proper treatment.
Ramdev impleaded the Centre, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and IMA as parties.
Dave earlier said his client made a statement in 2021 that he does not believe in allopathic medicines to which some doctors took offence and lodged multiple cases against him.
As an interim relief, Ramdev sought a stay on investigation on the criminal complaints.
The IMA lodged complaints in Bihar and Chhattisgarh over Ramdev's remarks against the use of allopathic medicines during the pandemic.
The yoga guru was booked under various provisions of IPC and the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Ramdev, whose statements stirred a nationwide debate on Allopathy versus Ayurveda had, however, withdrawn them after receiving a letter from then Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who called his remarks "inappropriate".
The Delhi Medical Association (DMA), meanwhile, sought permission to become a party to the case, alleging that Ramdev insulted Allopathy and "instigated" people to disregard vaccines and treatment protocols.
The DMA, having 15,000 doctors as members, claimed Ramdev's Patanjali earned over Rs 1,000 crore by selling "Coronil" kits which were not approved by the competent authority.
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Mumbai-Pune Expressway ‘missing link’ to open on May 1; will improve travel safety: Shinde
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday said the long-awaited ‘missing link’ on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, aimed at bypassing the winding Bhor Ghat section and improving safety, will be inaugurated on May 1.
Shinde, who inspected the project site, said the new stretch will make the expressway fully access-controlled, easing congestion in the hilly section.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to inaugurate the 13.3-km-long missing link, which connects Khopoli on the Mumbai side to Kusgaon near Lonavala, on Maharashtra Day, which is celebrated on May 1, he said.
The deputy CM said that 99 per cent of the project work has been completed. “I personally inspected the quality of work and found it satisfactory. The remaining minor works will be completed in the next few days,” Shinde said.
Shinde said the new alignment will bypass sharp curves and accident-prone stretches in the ghat section, helping reduce delays and improve commuter safety. He claimed accidents in the section would reduce substantially once the project becomes operational.
“The missing link project will make travel between Mumbai and Pune quicker, safer and more convenient, and will contribute significantly to the state’s development,” he said.
The Rs 6,700-crore project, developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), includes two tunnels, high viaducts and a cable-stayed bridge over Tiger Valley.
The missing link will reduce the travel distance between Mumbai and Pune by approximately 6 km and shorten the journey time by 20 to 30 minutes, said officials.
Initially, only light motor vehicles and buses will be permitted on the new stretch to reduce congestion on the existing ghat section, officials said, adding that heavy goods vehicles will be prohibited due to safety concerns.
“There will be no toll hike because of the missing link project. No increase has been proposed at the Khalapur toll plaza either,” Shinde said.
The project comprises two eight-lane tunnels of 1.75 km and 8.92 km in length and two viaducts measuring 850 metres and 650 metres, said officials. It has been designed to bypass the old Khandala ghat section, a winding route that has long slowed down traffic and posed safety risks, said officials.
The 650-metre viaduct will feature what officials described as India’s tallest road cable-stayed bridge, with pylons rising to 182 metres, taller than those on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
Officials claimed that the tunnels have a width of 23.75 metres and are among the widest road tunnels in the world. An MSRDC official said the tunnel is likely to be included in the Guinness Book of Records.
The route runs beneath the Lonavala lake area and was executed in difficult terrain marked by heavy rainfall and strong winds, officials said.
Shinde said projects such as the missing link would boost access to tourist destinations such as Lohagad Fort, Visapur Fort and Karla Caves.
MP Shrirang Barne, former corporator Abasaheb Bagul, MSRDC Managing Director Anilkumar Gaikwad and senior engineers from executing agencies were present during the inspection, officials said.
Krishnamurthy Subramanian, executive chairman of construction and engineering company Afcons International Private Limited, said the journey to completion of “India’s highest road cable-stayed bridge” was challenging.
“The bridge, located in the Sahyadri region, presented extreme challenges, including narrow ridges that left little room for heavy machinery, sudden wind speeds reaching up to 100 kmph, and dense fog reducing visibility to a few metres. Despite these conditions, we are proud to deliver this engineering marvel,” he said.
The expressway, spanning approximately 95 km, holds the distinction of being India's first access-controlled highway.
