New Delhi: Delhi High court has ordered Amazon to delist a drink product that’s manufactured by a Pakistani firm under the name “Rooh Afza” from its platform in India. Rooh Afza is a popular refreshment drink in Northern India and has long been using in households to protect against Summer heat.
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High court passed the order on September 7 after receiving the plea by the Indian social welfare NGO Hamdard National Foundation. The petitioner argued that some of the “Rooh Afza” listed on the Amazon Indian platform site aren’t manufactured by Hamdard Laboratories (India), but by Pakistani firms. And the most important thing is that details aren’t mentioned on the packaging.
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The court said, "‘Rooh Afza’ is a product which has been consumed by the Indian public for more than a century now, and its quality standards have to comply with the applicable regulations prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Act and Legal Metrology Act. It is surprising that an imported product is being sold on Amazon without complete details of the manufacturer being disclosed.”
What is Rooh Afza?
Rooh Afza, which is a household name in Northern India, is a popular refreshment drink used to protect against the scourge of summer heat. This Syrup was first invented by Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed who was a Unani healing practitioner. It was first sold in 1907 in Old Delhi.
Once the united India was divided into India and Pakistan, Majeed one son stayed in India while the other went to Pakistan.
Both brothers set up factories in each country - Hamdard foundation in India and Hamdard Laboratories in Pakistan. Both of them produce the same product Rooh Afza. Today Hamdard National Foundation manufacturers Rooh Afza in India while Hamdard Laboratories has produced the same product Rooh Afza for Pakistan.
The Issue with Rooh Afza
According to the Hamdard India, the company earns a substantial amount of its revenue through sales of the product under the Rooh Afza name. Allowing listing of the Pakistan-manufactured Hamdard Rooh Afza would siphon off a large part of the revenue from Hamdard India. That’s a huge loss of revenue.
Besides, Pakistan-manufactured products under Rooh Afza brand lack the contact details of the manufactures, which makes it difficult to contact the owner in times of the need. Moreover, customers get confused to distinguish between the Indian and Pakistani manufacturers. If customers see the Pakistan made Rooh Afza on Amazon India, they will buy it inadvertently intead of India-made Rooh Afza.
