Baba Ramdev Concedes to Remove Videos Linking ‘Rooh Afza’ with 'Sharbat Jihad'
Click to start listening
Synopsis
Baba Ramdev has agreed to remove videos linking Hamdard’s Rooh Afza with 'Sharbat Jihad' after a plea from the company. The Delhi High Court criticized his remarks, urging him to refrain from such statements in the future.
Key Takeaways
- Baba Ramdev will delete controversial videos.
- The Delhi HC criticized Ramdev's communal remarks.
- Hamdard sought removal of the videos.
- Next hearing is on May 1.
- Past contempt proceedings against Ramdev were dismissed.
New Delhi, April 22 (NationPress) Patanjali founder Baba Ramdev on Tuesday consented before the Delhi High Court to remove videos from social media where he had allegedly connected the well-known beverage Rooh Afza, produced by pharmaceutical and food company Hamdard, with 'Sharbat Jihad'.
A Bench led by Justice Amit Bansal was considering a petition filed by Hamdard, which sought the deletion of Ramdev's contentious videos from social media platforms.
Earlier this month, while endorsing Patanjali's ‘Gulab Sharbat’, Ramdev asserted that Hamdard was utilizing its profits to construct mosques and madrasas.
In his defense, Ramdev claimed that he did not reference any specific brand or community.
During the hearing, Justice Amit Bansal criticized Ramdev for employing communal slurs against Rooh Afza, stating, “It shocks the conscience of the Court. This is indefensible.”
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Hamdard, emphasized that such videos should not be tolerated “even for a moment”, and noted Ramdev's previous criticisms of the herbal health company Himalaya, which is also owned by a Muslim.
Rohatgi pointed to the contempt proceedings initiated by the Supreme Court against Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved’s Managing Director Acharya Balakrishna for the ongoing publication of misleading advertisements and targeting allopathy.
Last August, the duo was cleared of the contempt of court notice after they delivered a personal apology to the apex court and published a public apology in major newspapers.
After Justice Bansal of the Delhi HC threatened a stringent order, Ramdev’s legal counsel agreed to take down the controversial video and advertisements.
The Delhi High Court instructed Ramdev to submit an affidavit undertaking that he will refrain from making similar statements, advertisements, and social media posts in the future. The next hearing is scheduled for May 1.
