The Delhi High Court has come down heavily on Baba Ramdev over his controversial “Sharbat Jihad” remark targeting Hamdard’s iconic drink, Rooh Afza. Justice Amit Bansal, while hearing a suit filed by Hamdard Laboratories, said the comment “shocked the conscience of the court” and deemed it “indefensible.” The Yoga guru made the remark during a promotion of Patanjali’s rose sharbat, where he said, “If you drink that sharbat, madrasas and mosques will be built. But if you drink this [Patanjali’s], gurukuls and Patanjali University will grow.” The term was widely criticized as communal and inciting hatred against Muslims.

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Hamdard, argued that the issue extended beyond brand rivalry, calling it an “open attempt to deepen communal divides.” He pointed out that Ramdev’s statement was a form of hate speech disguised as marketing, and not just product defamation. Rohatgi also claimed that another Muslim-owned brand, Himalaya, had similarly been targeted. The Court was also reminded of previous Supreme Court contempt proceedings against Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna over misleading advertisements against allopathic medicine, for which a public apology was demanded.

Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar, representing Ramdev and Patanjali, informed the court that all offensive advertisements would be withdrawn. The court has directed Ramdev to file an affidavit within a week, pledging to refrain from making any further statements or posts that could harm Hamdard. Meanwhile, Ramdev defended his comment, claiming he didn’t name any brand or community. However, political opposition has intensified, with Congress leader Digvijaya Singh filing a police complaint in Bhopal seeking legal action for promoting religious hatred. The term ‘Sharbat Jihad’ now joins a growing list of communal buzzwords used to malign Indian Muslims without evidence, fueling further polarization.