Today, On 1st May, In the ongoing Sharbat Jihad row, the Delhi High Court criticised Baba Ramdev over a new video on Rooh Afza, stating he is “not in control of anyone & lives in his own world.”
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday slammed Yoga guru Baba Ramdev for allegedly releasing a new video repeating his controversial “sharbat jihad” remarks against Hamdard’s Rooh Afza, despite previous court orders prohibiting such statements.
The court observed that “Ramdev not in control of anyone and lived in his own world,” finding him in prima facie contempt of its earlier order.
This matter arises from a petition filed by the Hamdard National Foundation (India) against Ramdev and Patanjali Foods Ltd concerning objectionable statements made while promoting Patanjali’s “gulab sharbat.”
In the promotional material, Ramdev allegedly claimed that proceeds from the sale of Rooh Afza were being used to build madrasas and mosques, referring to it as “sharbat jihad” a term that drew sharp criticism from the court during a previous hearing.
Earlier, The Delhi High Court expressed its disapproval of Ramdev’s comments, stating that the remarks “shook the conscience” of the court and were indefensible. Following this, Ramdev assured the court he would remove all related videos and advertisements and was directed to file an affidavit confirming that he would refrain from making such statements in the future.
Also Read: Baba Ramdev to Take Down Rooh Afza Videos After High Court Slams ‘Sharbat Jihad’ Remark
However, during Thursday’s hearing, Hamdard’s counsel informed the court that a new video containing similar comments had recently gone viral.
Taking note of this, Justice Amit Bansal remarked,
“In view of the last order, his affidavit as well as this video are prima facie in contempt. I will issue a contempt notice now. We are just calling him here.”
The judge further commented on Ramdev’s repeated defiance, saying,
“He is not in control of anyone. He lives in his own world.”
Taking a serious note of his remarks, the court had earlier observed,
“I couldn’t believe my ear and eyes when I saw the video.”
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Hamdard, argued that the issue went beyond disparagement and was “akin to hate speech,” aimed at creating communal discord.
He asserted,
“It must be removed!”
Approximately an hour after the Delhi High Court’s observation, Baba Ramdev’s lawyer informed the court that the Patanjali group would be taking down all the videos in question.
The lawyer told the court,
“I have [been] advised and we are pulling out the videos,”
He assured,
“Whatever is in my control will be removed,”
Adding that if there was additional content flagged, “They can give it to us”.
Ramdev Baba’s comments in question were made earlier this month when he launched Patanjali’s rose sharbat.
During the launch, Baba Ramdev said,
“There’s a company that gives you sharbat, but the money it earns is used to construct madrasas and mosques.”
While he did not name Hamdard or Rooh Afza, his comments were widely understood to have been directed at the popular drink.
“If you drink that sharbat, madrasas and mosques will be built. But if you drink this [referring to Patanjali’s rose sharbat], gurukuls will be built, Acharya Kulam will be developed, Patanjali University will expand, and the Bharatiya Shiksha Board will grow.”
Baba Ramdev had also said, prompting Hamdard to file a petition against the comments,
“Just like there is love jihad, this is also a kind of sharbat jihad. To protect yourself from this sharbat jihad, this message must reach everyone,”
He also compared other sharbat brands to “toilet cleaners,” saying, “Protect your family and innocent children from the poison of toilet cleaners being sold as soft drinks and sharbat Jihad. Choose only Patanjali sharbat and juices,” the brand declared on social media.
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