Uttarakhand High Court Directs Baba Ramdev's Company to Share Profits with Locals

Nainital, December 28: In a first-of-its-kind order, the Uttarakhand High Court has directed a company run by Yoga guru Ramdev to share a percentage of its profits with local farmers and communities. The high court gave the order while rejecting a petition of Divya Pharmacy against the Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board (UBB) and upholding the provisions of fair and equitable benefit-sharing as provided under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

The bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia held that it was a fact that biological resources constitute the main ingredient and raw materials in the manufacture of ayurvedic and nutraceutical products. It ordered the pharmacy to share Rs 2 crore out of its Rs 421-crore profit with the farmers of the raw product. Baba Ramdev Says BJP Will 'Lose Trust' if Ram Mandir Not Built in Ayodhya Now.

Previously the UBB had directed the pharmacy to share the amount with the farmers and local communities out of its profit as per the Biological Diversity Act. The pharmacy had claimed that the UBB neither had the powers nor jurisdiction to pass such an order and it was not liable to pay or make any kind of contribution. Baba Ramdev Says Bachelors Must be 'Honoured', Those With More Than 2 Children Should be 'Barred From Voting'.

The court held that India was a party to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and the country was under an obligation to give effect to the provisions of the treaty. The court said the UBB was within rights to pass the order demanding the amount, as the biological resources were not only a national property, but also belong to the communities which produce these.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)