“This is indefensible…”: Delhi High Court Rebukes Ramdev for 'Sharbat Jihad' Remark

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday slammed Patanjali Ayurved founder Ramdev over his contentious "Sharbat Jihad" comment, allegedly targeting Hamdard's Rooh Afza. The court described his comments as “indefensible” and stated that they “shock the conscience of the court”.

“It shocks the conscience of the court. This is indefensible,” said Justice Amit Bansal, who presided over the matter. The rebuke came during a hearing on a defamation suit filed by Hamdard Laboratories, the manufacturer of Rooh Afza. The company accused Ramdev of making defamatory and communally charged statements that could incite division.

Representing Hamdard, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi argued that the case went far beyond simple product disparagement. “This is a case which is shocking, which goes beyond disparagement. This is a case of creating communal divide, akin to hate speech. It will not have protection from the law of defamation,” he said. Rohatgi further added, “This should not be even allowed for a moment. We have enough problems in this country.”

The court has postponed a final decision on the matter, asking for the counsel representing Ramdev to be present for the next hearing.

In response to the backlash, Ramdev attempted to defend his remarks during a press interaction on Friday. He insisted that he had not specifically named any brand or religious group. “I haven’t taken anybody’s name, but the Rooh Afza people took ‘sharbat jihad’ on themselves… this means they are doing this ‘jihad’,” he stated. He further added, “If they are dedicated to Islam and are building masjids and madrasas, then they should be happy. However, the Sanatanis should understand… If someone has a problem with this, then let it be.”

The controversy stems out of a video shared from the 'Patanjali Products' Facebook page. The caption in Hindi, when translated, urged people to “protect your family and innocent children from the poison of toilet cleaner being sold under the name of ‘sharbat jihad’ and cold drinks.”

In the video, Ramdev is seen criticising soft drinks, equating them to toilet cleaners, and suggesting they are harmful. He also targets a specific company — implicitly Hamdard — suggesting that profits from their drink are used to fund religious institutions. “On one side, there’s the attack of toilet-cleaner-like poison, and on the other, there’s a company selling sharbat, which uses the money earned from it to build mosques and madrasas. That’s fine, it’s their religion,” he says.

Ramdev continues by promoting Patanjali’s own rose sharbat, claiming that its profits support educational institutions like gurukuls, Acharyakulam, Patanjali University, and the Bharatiya Shiksha Board. He concludes by likening the situation to other controversial terms. “Just like there is love jihad and vote jihad, there is also sharbat jihad. So, you must protect yourself from this sharbat jihad,” he declares in the video.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has sought legal action against Ramdev. He approached TT Nagar police station in Bhopal, urging them to register a FIR under sections 196 (1)(a) and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act. Singh alleged that Ramdev’s remarks and social media posts were designed to stir religious sentiments for commercial gain, accusing him of promoting hate and communal tension to boost Patanjali’s product sales.​