Rooh Afza is one of the most popular soft drink brands in northern India, especially during the summer season
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday slammed Patanjali founder Baba Ramdev for using communal slurs against pharmaceutical and food company Hamdard and its popular drink Rooh Afza. Following a preliminary hearing in a suit filed by Hamdard against Patanjali and Ramdev, the court called Ramdev’s remarks “indefensible”.
“It shocks the conscience of the court,” said the High Court, referring to Ramdev’s ‘sharbat jihad’ remark while he promoted Patanjali’s product called Gulaab Sharbat.
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In a video posted on April 3, Ramdev targeted Hamdard’s Rooh Afza, claiming the company was using its money to build masjids and madrasas.
Last week, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh filed a police complaint against the Patanjali founder in Bhopal for allegedly promoting religious hatred. Defending his comments, Ramdev said that he had not named any specific brand in the video.
“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,” Ramdev had said in the video. Although he did not name Hamdard or Rooh Afza, it was widely understood to have been directed at the popular drink.
“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 had said, following which Hamdard filed a petition in the high court.
The Delhi High Court was also told that Ramdev had previously also attacked another company, Himalaya, because it was owned by a Muslim.
Meanwhile, both Patanjali and Ramdev have found themselves in hot water several times in the past, particularly regarding their advertisements. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) filed a plea against Patanjali Ayurved, leading the Supreme Court to impose a temporary ban on its ads and issue contempt notices over misleading claims.
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In January, a Kerala court had issued non-bailable warrants against Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishna after they failed to appear in a case involving misleading ads by Divya Pharmacy, the marketing arm of the company. Ramdev faces nearly 26 cases in various courts across Kerala alone for violating the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act of 1954.
The matter is scheduled for another hearing on April 12.
