HC warns Ramdev of contempt, says take down video targeting Rooh Afza

NEW DELHI: Delhi high court on Thursday found Yoga guru Ramdev "prima facie in contempt", saying he "is not in control of anyone" as it took a dim view of his defiance of an earlier undertaking and ordered him to remove within 24 hours a fresh offensive social media video targeting Rooh Afza makers Hamdard.

"He (Ramdev) lives in his own world," Justice Amit Bansal remarked while hearing a fresh plea by Hamdard against the defamatory video over Ramdev's controversial "sharbat jihad" remarks against the drink. HC had in a previous order last month directed Ramdev not to issue any statement or share videos similar to those challenged earlier and relating to products of competitors, including Hamdard.

On Thursday, however, Hamdard's counsel drew attention to Ramdev's latest video containing offensive content. While warning he may be hauled up for contempt, HC asked Ramdev to take down the video.

Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing Hamdard, said Ramdev's new video showed he had no respect for anybody, including HC. "In a matter of one day, it has 8.9 lakh views, 8,500 likes, and 2,200 comments, and the video has gone viral. That is the reach of such a communal video which was far beyond what is permissible in law," Sethi said. Senior Advocates Rajiv Nayar and Jayant Mehta, representing Ramdev and Patanjali, said the video might be distasteful and at best defamatory but it did not disparage products of rivals and did not amount to contempt.