The Hamdard National Foundation, India’s Rooh Afza maker, filed a lawsuit alleging Pakistani-made Rooh Afza was being sold in India through Amazon, prompting the Delhi High Court to order the e-commerce site to halt offers to delete, reported the Indian Express.
Rooh Afza is a famous drink that Indians have been drinking for over 100 years. The court found it surprising that the imported version was sold on Amazon without the manufacturer’s information being provided.
Judge Prathiba M Singh on Wednesday ordered Amazon India’s “offerings of ‘Rooh Afza’ counterfeit products to be removed within 48 hours. Introduced to Delhi over a century ago by Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed, Rooh Afza was split after partition when Hakim’s eldest son moved to India and the youngest chose Pakistan. Currently, the Hamdard National Foundation owns the rights to the drink in India and Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) produces it in Pakistan.
The Hamdard National Foundation also saw suppliers mention Rooh Afza last year, and many received notice as a result. It was recently revealed that the Rooh Afza bottles sold in India on Amazon are made in Pakistan, which is illegal.
Currently, the Hamdard National Foundation owns the rights to the drink in India and Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) produces it in Pakistan. The Hamdard National Foundation also saw suppliers mention Rooh Afza last year, and many received notice as a result.
It was recently revealed that the Rooh Afza bottles sold in India on Amazon are made in Pakistan, which is illegal.
The “Visit Hamdard Store” option offered alongside the products takes shoppers to the Hamdard Laboratories India webpage. This can confuse people and imply that societies in Pakistan and India are connected in some way. The court also said that Amazon must disclose the names of the sellers as the e-commerce giant claims to be an intermediary.
