Ramdev 'Sharbat Jihad' remark: Delhi court raps Yoga guru, says it ‘shocks the conscience’

Delhi High Court on Tuesday, April 22, rapped Baba Ramdev for his “Sharbat Jihad” remarks to target the popular Hamdard's Rooh Afza, saying it shocked the conscience of the court. Justice Amit Bansal, who heard Hamdard’s suit against Ramdev, said, “[It] shocks the conscience of court, this is indefensible.”

The comments slamming Ramdev came after a video, purportedly released through Ramdev's X account, showed the Yoga guru marketing Patanjali's Gulab Sharbat and aiming target at Hamdard over its Rooh Afza drink, claiming it uses the money to build “madrasas and mosques”, coining the term “Sharbat Jihad”.

“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,” Ramdev was heard saying.

While he did not name Hamdard, the comments were believed to be aimed at Hamdard, prompting the company to file a petition against his remarks.

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." He further asserted that Ramdev's remarks were tantamount to hate speech, Live Law has reported.

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Earlier, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh had approached police for registration of an FIR against Ramdev, accusing him of spreading religious hatred through his purported statement on “Sharbat Jihad”.

“This statement of Ramdev is hurtful to religious sentiments and is full of animosity and has an adverse effect on religious sentiments and is a punishable offence under Section 196 (1) (a), 299 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita 2023 and various sections of the IT Act,” Digvijaya Singh said.

The country knows Ramdev was pointing at Hamdard company without naming it, the Congress leader said.