Ramdev's ‘sharbat jihad’ video lands him in contempt as Delhi HC says yogi ‘not in control of anyone’

The Delhi High Court on Thursday came down heavily on yoga guru and Patanjali founder Baba Ramdev for allegedly violating the court's earlier directive by publishing another video containing disparaging remarks against the popular herbal drink, Rooh Afza.

Issuing a strongly worded contempt notice against Ramdev, Justice Amit Bansal, who was presiding over the case, remarked that the yoga guru appeared to “live in his own world” and was “not in control of anyone.”

Court’s Stern Rebuke

“In view of the last order, his affidavit as well as this video are prima facie in contempt. I will issue a contempt notice now. We are just calling him here,” Justice Bansal said.

This is not the first time Ramdev has landed in a legal soup. The court had previously barred Ramdev from making any further public statements, advertisements, or videos targeting Hamdard National Foundation India, the company behind the popular brand, Rooh Afza.

Background of the Dispute

The legal battle began earlier this month when Ramdev, while promoting Patanjali’s Gulab Sharbat, claimed that revenues from Rooh Afza were being used to fund madrasas and mosques. He controversially termed the allegation ‘sharbat jihad,’ which sparked a massive outrage and eventually prompted Hamdard to seek legal remedies.

The high court, hearing Hamdard’s plea, on April 22, termed Ramdev’s remarks ‘shocking to the conscience of the court’ and ‘indefensible,’ warning of strict action if corrective steps were not immediately taken. Following this, Ramdev assured the court that all related content would be removed, and his counsel submitted a written undertaking.

Fresh Controversy

Despite the court’s order, Hamdard’s legal team presented evidence on Thursday that Ramdev had uploaded another video with similar contentious claims. Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Sandeep Sethi, representing Hamdard, argued that this was a deliberate breach of the court’s directive and amounted to contempt.

“This amounts to hate speech. He says it is a sharbat jihad. He should carry on his business. Why is he troubling us?" Rohatgi argued. Sethi further added that Ramdev’s comments targeted the religious identity of Hamdard’s founders and could not be shielded under free speech.

Ramdev’s Defence

Senior advocate Rajiv Nayar, who was representing Ramdev, countered that Hamdard was ‘not the custodian of religion’ and that his client was merely expressing an opinion. He insisted that Ramdev had not named any specific brand or community in the new video and denied any intent to incite discord.

“If he gives an opinion, then he cannot be stopped. You can't stop somebody from expressing an opinion,” Nayar argued.

As per news reports, Justice Bansal, however, was unimpressed with the defence’s arguments, saying, “He can hold these opinions in his head; need not express them.”

What Next?

It looks like the legal troubles for Ramdev will only escalate. The court has now issued a formal contempt notice to Ramdev, which essentially means Ramdev would have to appear before the court and explain his statements and actions.