The Delhi High Court on Friday decreed a trademark infringement and disparagement suit in favour of pharma and food company Hamdard and closed the proceedings after yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Foods Ltd gave an undertaking that they shall not make disparaging posts against Hamdard’s products. The two gave the undertaking before the Delhi HC which had directed them to file the same on April 22. On April 22, Justice Amit Bansal had directed the two to give an undertaking to the effect that they “shall not issue any statements, social media posts or disparaging videos/advertisements in future similar to those which are subject matter of the present suit in respect of products of the competitors (Hamdard).” Ramdev and Patanjali were taken to court by Hamdard after Ramdev had posted a video against Hamdard and its product Rooh Afza, making communally divisive remarks against the company. Ramdev, in the video, was seen claiming that his competitor’s profits were used “for building masjids and madrasas”. He had also referred to Rooh Afza as ‘Sharbat Jihad’ The court had ordered for takedown of the video as well as an undertaking from the two that they shall not be making such disparaging remarks in the future. However, on May 1, the court was informed by Hamdard that Ramdev, despite the April 22 court order, had gone ahead and released a new video in which he purportedly disparaged Hamdard and its products again with communally divisive undertones. After the second video was brought to the court’s attention, and the court had opined that it may initiate contempt of court proceedings against him and Patanjali, Ramdev had then offered to take down the offending portion in the nearly 3-hour long video. Following the submission, Justice Bansal had also recorded that Ramdev and his Patanjali Foods Ltd should take down the offending portion within 24 hours from all social media platforms and any other media where it is posted, and had also directed Ramdev to file an affidavit of compliance with the court's order.
