The bench, led by Justice Amit Bansal, also found Baba Ramdev in prima facie contempt of court for his repeated remarks against Hamdard’s product despite clear instructions not to do so.
“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,” the court said after it was informed that Baba Ramdev had published a fresh video ignoring its April 22 directive.
The court had earlier barred Ramdev from making any further statements or releasing videos targeting Hamdard’s products. The latest observations came after Hamdard National Foundation India filed a plea against Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Foods Ltd over his “sharbat jihad” remarks.
On the previous occasion, the High Court had stated that the “sharbat jihad” allegation against Hamdard’s Rooh Afza “shook its conscience” and was indefensible. Ramdev had then agreed to remove related content from all platforms. However, Hamdard’s counsel told the court that while promoting Patanjali’s “gulab sharbat”, Baba Ramdev once again alleged that proceeds from Rooh Afza sales were being used to build madrasas and mosques. Ramdev’s counsel urged the court to defer the hearing since the arguing counsel was unavailable, after which the matter was briefly postponed.
(With inputs from PTI)
