Delhi High Court slams Indian yoga guru over hateful remarks about ‘Rooh Afza’

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday strongly criticised Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev for his inflammatory remarks linking the popular beverage Rooh Afza with “sharbat jihad” and comparing it to toilet cleaners, all in an apparent effort to promote his own rose drink under the Patanjali brand.

During the court proceedings, Ramdev’s counsel agreed to withdraw all advertisements featuring the controversial term “sharbat jihad” from all platforms.

The court’s stern rebuke came after a viral video surfaced in which Ramdev, while launching Patanjali’s rose sharbat, made veiled but obvious references to Rooh Afza and accused the product of funding religious institutions linked to Muslims.

Without naming Rooh Afza directly, Ramdev said in his speech, "There's a company that gives you sharbat, but the money it earns is used to construct madrasas and mosques. If you drink that sharbat, madrasas and mosques will be built. But if you drink this [Patanjali's rose sharbat], gurukuls will be built, Acharya Kulam will be developed, Patanjali University will expand, and the Bharatiya Shiksha Board will grow."

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He further added, "Just like there is love jihad, this is a kind of sharbat jihad. To protect yourself from it, this message must reach everyone."

Adding to the controversy, Patanjali’s official website allegedly described Rooh Afza as a “toilet cleaner” and warned consumers,  “Protect your family and innocent children from the poison of toilet cleaners being sold as soft drinks and sharbat jihad. Choose only Patanjali sharbat and juices.”

Following the public outrage, Rooh Afza’s manufacturer, Hamdard, filed a legal complaint, arguing that Ramdev’s remarks were intended to incite communal hatred and defame their brand.

During the hearing, the judge condemned the comments as “indefensible” and said the court’s “conscience was shocked” after viewing the video.

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"I couldn’t believe my ears and eyes when I saw the video," the judge remarked.

Responding to the court’s disapproval, Patanjali’s lawyer assured the bench that all controversial advertisements would be removed and sought guidance on any remaining concerns regarding the product’s marketing strategy.

The court also directed Patanjali’s counsel to submit an affidavit, pledging that such communal and defamatory remarks would not be made in the future.