NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday strongly condemned Baba Ramdev for his controversial “Sharbat Jihad” remark, calling it “inexcusable” and stating that the comment had “shaken the conscience of the court.” The observation was made by Justice Amit Bansal during a hearing on a petition filed by Hamdard Laboratories, the makers of the popular Rooh Afza drink.
The controversy stems from a video posted by Ramdev on 3 April during the launch of a Patanjali beverage. In the video, shared on platform X (formerly Twitter), Ramdev alleged that a certain company makes sharbat (syrup) and uses its earnings to fund madrasas and mosques. He compared it to “love jihad” and “vote jihad,” claiming that “sharbat jihad” was also underway.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Hamdard, argued that the statement amounted to an attack based on religion and was not merely comparative marketing. “This is not just product denigration; this is hate speech,” he told the court. He reminded the bench of earlier instances where Ramdev had been reprimanded by the Supreme Court for misleading advertisements and anti-allopathy remarks.
In response, advocate Rajiv Nayar, representing Patanjali, informed the court that all such videos would be taken down and assured that no similar statements would be made in the future. However, the court insisted that Ramdev must submit an affidavit confirming this commitment and refrain from making further inflammatory remarks.
Justice Bansal remarked that Ramdev should “keep such thoughts to himself” and not air them publicly. The court made it clear that religiously charged comments have no place in marketing or public discourse.
Ramdev’s legal team agreed to comply with the order, and the court instructed him to file a formal affidavit stating that he would not make similar statements going forward.
