NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday relieved yoga guru Ramdev from facing cases under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention) of Atrocities Act in several states by consolidating trial at Patna for his alleged 'honeymoon' snipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandi for his visits to dalit households.

At a press conference in Lucknow on April 14 last year, just before the general elections, Ramdev had allegedly mocked Rahul's visits to dalit households as 'picnic and honeymoon', drawing sharp criticism and several complaints at various places against him.

The UP government too had initiated action against him in Lucknow. However, there were nine other individuals who lodged complaints either in court or with police in Patna, Agra, Moradabad, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Nagpur and Gorakhpur.

Fearing harassment through court process, the yoga guru had approached the Supreme Court through advocate Keshav Mohan seeking a consolidated trial of all these cases pending before different courts at one place. The SC had on May 9 last year stayed the proceedings against him pending in various courts after seeking the response of the complainants to Ramdev's plea for a consolidated trial in Lucknow.

On Thursday, a bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu agreed for a consolidated trial but not in Lucknow. It ordered that all complaint cases arising from the statement made by Ramdev on April 14, 2014 be transferred to the chief judicial magistrate in Patna.

The court said the Patna CJM will commence proceedings on September 21, a date proximate to the Bihar assembly elections. However, the SC said if Ramdev wanted exemption from personal appearance before the trial court, he would have to make a request to the Patna CJM.