Delhi High Court Slams Ramdev for ‘Sherbet Jihad’ Comment on Rooh Afza
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev is facing fresh legal trouble after making controversial remarks about the popular drink Rooh Afza. The Delhi High Court strongly criticised his comments and called them shocking and unacceptable.
The issue began when Ramdev promoted Patanjali’s rose-flavoured sherbet in a video. Without taking any brand’s name, he claimed that money from a certain sherbet was being used to build mosques and madrasas. He said drinking Patanjali’s product would support gurukuls and Indian traditions instead. He even used the term “sherbet jihad” during the video.
This upset Hamdard, the company that makes Rooh Afza. They took the matter to the Delhi High Court and asked for the video to be removed from social media. Senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Hamdard, said Ramdev’s comments were not just damaging to the product but also encouraged communal division. He called it hate speech and added that Ramdev didn’t need to insult other brands to sell his own.
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Ramdev’s team initially asked for more time in court. However, later, his lawyer Rajiv Nayar said that Ramdev would take down the video and would not make such statements again.
The court has now asked Ramdev to give a written promise (an affidavit) saying he will not post any such content in the future. The next hearing is set for May 1.
This is not the first time Ramdev and Patanjali have faced legal trouble. In the past, they were questioned by the Supreme Court over misleading ads, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when they promoted the medicine ‘Coronil’ as a cure for the virus.
The court has made it clear – strong action will follow if the rules are not followed.
