Baba Ramdev on Friday submitted an undertaking before the Delhi High Court, pledging not to make or circulate any further disparaging remarks on social media, including comments similar to his controversial “Sharbat Jihad” statement targeting Hamdard’s Rooh Afza.
The statement was made during the hearing of a lawsuit filed by the Hamdard National Foundation India against Ramdev and Patanjali Foods Ltd over his Islamophobic comments.
This comes after the court had directed Ramdev and Patanjali to file an affidavit confirming that they would not make any further disparaging statements, posts, or videos aimed at competitors’ products, containing communal slurs to target competitor companies.
Ramdev’s counsel stated that his client holds “great respect for the court” and would comply with its directions, while also requesting the court to dispose of the case.
The court instructed Ramdev’s legal team to file a formal affidavit on the same day and noted that Patanjali Foods Ltd. had already submitted a similar undertaking.
“Mr. Nayar submits that the defendants are willing to file an undertaking in terms of paragraph 18 of the order dated April 22. A copy of the affidavit has been given to the counsel for the plaintiff. Let the same be filed during the course of the day,” the judge said in his order.
The matter has been scheduled for hearing on May 9.
Baba Ramdev, known for his aggressive and controversial marketing tactics, sparked controversy with the “Sharbat Jihad” remark while promoting Patanjali juice.
In the video, coining the term “Sharbat Jihad,” he said, “If you drink that sharbat, madrasas and mosques will be built. But if you drink this [Patanjali’s rose sharbat], gurukuls will be built, Acharya Kulam will be developed, Patanjali University will expand, and the Bharatiya Shiksha Board will grow.”
When the case was first heard on April 22, Justice Amit Bansal strongly criticized Ramdev for the videos, stating that his remarks shocked “the conscience of the court; this is indefensible.”
After the court warned it would pass a strong order, Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar appeared on behalf of Patanjali and Ramdev, assuring the court that all advertisements, whether in print or video format, would be taken down.
The court also directed Ramdev to submit an affidavit undertaking not to issue similar statements, advertisements, or social media posts in the future.
When the case was listed again on Friday to assess compliance, Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi informed the court that the controversial video had merely been made private on YouTube, allowing subscribers to continue viewing it.
Following Hamdard’s submission to the court that Ramdev had released yet another video containing objectionable remarks against the company, the court sharply criticized Ramdev for this fresh video, expressing serious concern over his conduct.
Taking strong exception, the court warned that it would issue a contempt notice and summon Ramdev if such actions continued.
In response to the court’s stern observations, Ramdev’s counsel assured that the objectionable portions of the latest video would be removed from all social media platforms within 24 hours.
