'Shocks Court's Conscience': After Delhi HC Rap Over 'Sharbat Jihad' Remark, Ramdev to Remove Ads
New Delhi: Self-styled spiritual leader Baba Ramdev told the Delhi high court that advertisements his company had published against Hamdard National Foundation India's Rooh Afza product will be taken down.
Hamdard had moved court against Ramdev's comment that the company was leading a "sharbat jihad". Ramdev had made this comment in an effort to promote his company Patanjali's own concentrated squash. Hindutva leaders, politicians from the Bharatiya Janata Party and mainstream news channels have attempted to stitch 'jihad' to almost everything – land, love, and economy – in an effort to point to non-existent conspiracies by Muslims to convert people into Islam.
A bench of Justice Amit Bansal while hearing the suit filed by Hamdard, which formulated the popular Roof Afza product well before India's Independence, noted according to Hindustan Times that Ramdev's comment was “indefensible” and something that “shocks the conscience of the court”.
In a promotional, Ramdev had also indicated that the money earned from Hamdard's Rooh Afza was used to build madrasas and mosques.
Without naming Hamdard, he said according to NDTV, "A company uses money earned from selling sherbet to build mosques and madrasas. If you drink that sherbet, mosques and madrasas will be built. But if you drink Patanjali rose sherbet, gurukuls and Patanjali university will be built. Like love jihad and vote jihad, a sherbet jihad is also on."
Later, Ramdev claimed he had not named any brands.
Appearing for Hamdard, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi told the court that this was equivalent to hate speech and a shocking case of furthering the communal divide.
Representing Patanjali and Ramdev, Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar said that his clients were not against any religion. On this, the court said that this stand should come on an affidavit, according to LiveLaw.
Nayar, on the court's instruction, said that all the impugned advertisements, on print and video, will be taken down by Patanjali and Ramdev.
The court asked Ramdev to place an affidavit promising no future statements or advertisements in this regard by him.
Justice Bansal granted five days' time to Ramdev to file an affidavit, according to the LiveLaw report, and listed the matter for hearing next on May 01.
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