The Delhi High Court on Thursday observed that Yoga guru Ramdev appears to be “not in control of anyone” and “lives in his own world,” as it found him prima facie guilty of contempt for violating its previous orders regarding his controversial “sharbat jihad” remarks targeting Hamdard’s iconic beverage Rooh Afza.
Justice Amit Bansal made the remarks after Hamdard National Foundation (India) informed the court that despite the High Court’s April 22 directive prohibiting Ramdev from making defamatory statements or sharing videos against Hamdard’s products, a new video had surfaced repeating similar allegations.
“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.
The court had earlier expressed strong displeasure over Ramdev’s allegations that proceeds from the sale of Rooh Afza were used to fund madrasas and mosques. Calling the remark indefensible, the judge noted that it had “shaken the conscience of the court.”
On the last hearing, Ramdev had given an undertaking to remove the controversial content from all platforms and had assured the court that no similar statements would be made in the future. However, the latest development prompted the court to reconsider its leniency.
In Thursday’s hearing, Ramdev’s legal team sought an adjournment, citing the absence of the arguing counsel. The court agreed and deferred the hearing temporarily.
The contempt proceedings stem from a petition filed by Hamdard National Foundation and Hamdard Laboratories (India), which accused Ramdev and his company Patanjali Foods Ltd of spreading misinformation and damaging the reputation of their century-old product while promoting Patanjali’s “gulab sharbat.”
