On May 9, 2025, the Delhi High Court closed a defamation case filed by Hamdard National Foundation against Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Foods Ltd. The case stemmed from Ramdev’s controversial remarks during a promotional video for Patanjali’s “gulab sharbat,” where he alleged that profits from Hamdard’s Rooh Afza were used to fund mosques and madrasas, coining the term “sharbat jihad.” The court had previously criticized these statements as “indefensible” and ordered the removal of related content from online platforms.

In the final hearing, Ramdev’s legal team submitted affidavits assuring the court that all objectionable videos and posts had been removed and that no further disparaging remarks would be made against Hamdard’s products. Justice Amit Bansal accepted these undertakings as binding and decreed the suit in favor of Hamdard, formally closing the case .

Sources