The Delhi High Court on Tuesday slammed Baba Ramdev for his “Sharbat Jihad” remarks targeting the popular Hamdard’s Rooh Afza, stating it shocked “the conscience of the court, this is indefensible.”
The observation was made by Justice Amit Bansal while hearing a suit filed by Hamdard Laboratories against Ramdev.
Baba Ramdev, known for his aggressive and controversial marketing tactics, has 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.”
The term has been widely criticized as a communal dog whistle targeting Muslims and inciting economic boycotts.
Hamdard has filed the suit against Ramdev seeking the removal of the Yoga Guru’s videos on the remark from social media.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Hamdard, argued that the case extended beyond mere product disparagement, characterizing it as a “shocking” instance of promoting a “communal divide.”
“This is a case of creating a communal divide, akin to hate speech. Such conduct goes beyond the scope of defamation law and cannot be permitted,” he said, emphasizing that such videos must be removed immediately to prevent further harm, adding, “We already have enough problems in the country.”
He further asserted that Ramdev’s remarks were tantamount to hate speech.
Rohatgi argued that Ramdev is a well-known figure and can promote Patanjali’s products without disparaging any other brand.
He said that by his remarks, Ramdev has attacked Hamdard on the basis of religion as he named it “Sharbat Jihad.”
Rohatgi stated that Ramdev had also targeted another brand, Himalaya, allegedly due to its Muslim ownership.
Rohatgi also referred to the earlier Supreme Court proceedings where suo motu contempt was initiated against Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, who were asked to issue a public apology for publishing misleading advertisements and making comments against allopathic medicines, violating an undertaking given to the Court.
Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar, representing Ramdev and Patanjali Foods Limited, informed the Delhi High Court that all advertisements, whether print or video, targeting Hamdard National Foundation India’s Rooh Afza product would be removed.
The Court directed Ramdev to file an affidavit undertaking that he will refrain from issuing any statements, advertisements, or social media posts in the future that may aggrieve Hamdard.
The Court granted him a week’s time to submit the affidavit.
Baba Ramdev on Friday defended his remark, stating he did not name any specific brand or community, even as criticism mounted over what was criticised as a communal statement allegedly aimed at the popular drink Rooh Afza.
“I haven’t taken anybody’s name, but the Rooh Afza people took ‘sharbat jihad’ on themselves… This means they are doing this ‘jihad’,” Ramdev said.
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has filed a complaint at the TT Nagar police station in Bhopal, demanding the registration of an FIR against Ramdev for allegedly promoting religious hatred and hurting communal sentiments. In his complaint, Singh invoked sections 196(1)(a) and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023, along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.
The term ‘Sharbat Jihad’ adds to the growing list of terms like ‘love jihad,’ ‘vote jihad,’ ‘land jihad,’ ‘corona jihad,’ and ‘spit jihad,’ all of which are frequently coined or amplified by right-wing groups targeting Indian Muslims.
These terms are frequently used to allege conspiracies by Muslims against Hindus, often lacking any evidence and contributing to further divisions.
