Indian yoga guru Ramdev in trouble for ‘Sharbat Jihad’ remark against Rooh Afza

The high court in Indian capital Delhi on Tuesday came down heavily on Patanjali founder and yoga guru Ramdev for his controversial "Sharbat Jihad" comments allegedly aimed at Hamdard’s popular drink Rooh Afza, calling the comment “indefensible” and something that “shocks the conscience of the court”.

The strong observation came from Justice Amit Bansal while hearing a suit filed by Hamdard Laboratories against Ramdev. The company accused him of making defamatory and communal statements targeting its product.

Justice Amit Bansal said, "It shocks the conscience of the court. It is indefensible. You (counsel for Ramdev) take instructions from your client otherwise there will be a strong order."

Shortly after the court observation, Ramdev assured the Delhi high court that he would immediately remove videos and social media posts related to his purported "sharbat jihad" remark.

When the case was again taken up after some time, Ramdev's counsel submitted that he would immediately take down all advertisements, in print or video format, and social media posts relating to his controversial remarks.

The court took on record the statement of senior advocate Rajiv Nayar and asked Ramdev to file an affidavit within five days stating that he will not issue any such statements, advertisements or social media posts in future concerning competitors' products.

The court listed the matter on May 1.

On April 3, Ramdev had targeted Rooh Afza and claimed that the pharmaceutical and food company was using its money for building masjids and madrasas. The company then moved the Delhi high court, Bar and Bench reported.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Hamdrad, said, "This is a case which is shocking, which goes beyond disparagement. This is a case of creating communal divide, akin to hate speech. It will not have protection from law of defamation."

“This should not be even allowed for a moment. We have enough problems in this country,” Bar and Bench quoted Mukul Rohatgi as saying.

The high court has passed over the matter and asked the counsel representing Ramdev to remain present, it reported.

On Friday, while addressing the media, Ramdev defended his remarks, saying he did not name any specific brand or community.

“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.

“If they are dedicated to Islam and are building masjids and madrasas, then they should be happy. However, the Sanatanis should understand… If someone has a problem with this, then let it be," he added.

Earlier, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh approached the police for registration of an FIR against Ramdev, accusing him of spreading religious hatred through his purported statement on "sharbat jihad".

Digivijaya Singh, the Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh, approached TT Nagar police station in Bhopal, demanding that a case be registered under sections 196 (1) (a) and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.

Section 196 prohibits promoting enmity between groups based on religion, race, language, or region, while section 299 addresses deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class of citizens.

Singh flagged a video purportedly released through Ramdev's X account, which he alleged was aimed at inciting religious sentiments among people to increase the sales of Patanjali Ayurved's products.

Singh stated that Ramdev, while marketing Patanjali's Gulab Sharbat, had claimed that a company selling sharbat uses the income for building madrasas and mosques.

He alleged that Ramdev had dubbed it "sharbat jihad" while promoting a similar product of Patanjali.

The video was shared by ‘Patanjali Products’ on Facebook with a caption in Hindi, which, when translated, read, “Protect your family and innocent children from the poison of toilet cleaner being sold under the name of ‘sharbat jihad’ and cold drinks. Bring home only Patanjali sharbat and juices.”

Ramdev is seen in the video criticising soft drinks, saying they are like toilet cleaner being consumed in the name of quenching thirst during summer. He refers to this as an “attack” and compares it to a form of poison.

“In the name of quenching thirst during summers, people drink cold beverages that are basically toilet cleaners. On one side, there’s the attack of toilet-cleaner-like poison, and on the other, there’s a company selling sharbat, which uses the money earned from it to build mosques and madrasas. That’s fine, it’s their religion,” Ramdev says in the video.

He adds that drinking that company’s sharbat — apparently referring to Hamdard’s Rooh Afza — helps fund the construction of mosques and madrasas, while choosing Patanjali’s rose sharbat, he claims, supports gurukuls, Acharyakulam, Patanjali University, and the Bharatiya Shiksha Board.

Describing this as “sharbat jihad”, he likens it to “love jihad” and “vote jihad”, and says people must protect themselves from it.