Delhi HC slams Baba Ramdev’s ‘sharbat jihad’ remarks against Hamdard, calls them ‘indefensible’

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court, on Tuesday, slammed Baba Ramdev for his remarks against Hamdard and Roof Afza calling the actions ‘indefensible.’ Passing over the matter, the Delhi HC directed the counsel representing Ramdev to remain present in the court. 

Baba Ramdev landed in a controversy when he, while promoting Patanjali’s range of fruit juices and sharbat, alleged that competitor brands use the revenue generated from sales of their products to build mosques and madrasas. Calling it “sharbat jihad,” Ramdev asserted that consumers should abstain from investing in this “jihad.”

He “warned” the customers to stay away from the poison of toilet cleaners sold in the name of soft drinks and that they should carefully choose whether to invest in “sharbat jihad” or contribute towards building of Gurukuls and Patanjali Vishwavidyalay. 

Hamdard, the company that manufacturers Rooh Afza, moved to the court challenging Ramdev for his crass comments. Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, representing Hamdard, in the court, stated, “This is a case which is shocking, which goes beyond disparagement.” 

He argued that the case is creating communal divide, akin to hate speech and should not deserve protection from the law of defamation. “This should not even be allowed for a moment. We have enough problems in this country,” the advocate debated.  The court tagged the matter as indefensible stating that this case “shocks the conscience of the court.”

The proclaimed yog guru has been under public scrutiny on multiple instances of late. His products have been questioned for their authenticity and purity, leading to allegations of misleading advertising and false claims. He is now facing criticism for his “sharbat jihad” remark that is allegedly disparaging the Roof Afza drink manufactured by Hamdard.