New Delhi: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, founder of Patanjali, has agreed before the Delhi High Court on Tuesday to take down social media videos that controversially linked Hamdard’s iconic beverage, Rooh Afza, to the inflammatory term “Sharbat Jihad.”
The decision came during a hearing before Justice Amit Bansal, who was addressing a plea filed by Hamdard seeking the removal of the contentious videos.
Earlier this month, while promoting Patanjali’s “Gulab Sharbat,” Ramdev allegedly claimed that Hamdard, the maker of Rooh Afza, was utilizing its profits to fund the construction of madrasas and mosques.
Despite initially defending his statements by asserting he did not target any specific community or company, Ramdev faced strong criticism from Justice Bansal’s single-judge bench. The Court expressed its disapproval, stating, “It offends the Court’s conscience. This cannot be justified.”
Representing Hamdard, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi argued that such videos should not be permitted “even for a moment.” He further highlighted Ramdev’s history of making similar remarks against other Muslim-owned herbal health brands, such as Himalaya.
Rohatgi also drew attention to the recent contempt case against Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved’s Managing Director, Acharya Balakrishna, in the Supreme Court for their persistent publication of misleading advertisements disparaging allopathy. It may be recalled that both were discharged from the contempt notice in August of last year following public apologies in prominent media and personal expressions of remorse before the apex court.
Faced with the prospect of a stringent ruling from Justice Bansal, Ramdev’s counsel conceded to remove the disputed videos and advertisements. The Delhi High Court has directed Ramdev to submit an affidavit assuring that he will refrain from making such claims, running similar advertisements, or posting related content on social media in the future. The next hearing in this matter is scheduled for May 1.
