Delhi HC restrains Patanjali from airing 'disparaging' ads against Dabur Chyawanprash

Baba Ramdev's Patanjali is under fire again over its advertisements.

In an order passed on Thursday (July 3) by Justice Mini Pushkarna of the Delhi High Court, Patanjali was restrained from running disparaging advertisements against Dabur Chyawanprash.

False statements

The court allowed the interim injunction on Dabur's plea, which alleged "Patanjali Special Chyawanprash" was "disparaging DABUR Chyawanprash specifically" and Chyawanprash in general.

Also read: Ramdev's 'sharbat jihad' remark shocks court's conscience: Delhi HC

Patanjali was claiming in its advertisements that "no other manufacturer has the knowledge to prepare Chyawanprash" -- constituting generic disparagement. It claimed that it was the only firm that manufactured Chyawanprash as per Ayurvedic scriptures and classical texts, implying that other brands like Dabur lack authentic knowledge.

"In addition, false and misleading statements made in the advertisements (in respect of an ayurvedic drug/medicine), in disparaging comparison with DABUR Chyawanprash," the petition claimed.

Advocates Jawahar Lala and Meghna Kumar appeared for Dabur.

Dabur plea

Dabur approached the Delhi High Court seeking an immediate stay to these advertisements and sought Rs 2 crore as damages for the harm caused to the reputation of the brand.

Dabur, in its plea, said the advertisement falsely claimed that Patanjali's Chyawanprash was the only genuine product. Furthermore, Dabur objected to specific references in advertisements by Patanjali calling a 40-herb Chyawanprash “ordinary” denoting that they were "inferior".

Also read: Delhi HC order on Monday on doctors' plea against Ramdev over Coronil

The advertisement also made "untrue" claims that all other manufacturers had no knowledge of Ayurvedic texts and the formulae used to prepare Chyawanprash, it added.

The court posted the next hearing on July 14.

Not the first time

This is not the first time Patanjali has been pulled up about its advertisements. Earlier, in a case filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the court had closed the contempt proceedings against Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishna, only after they submitted undertakings that they will stop issuing misleading advertisements and other claims regarding Patanjali Ayurved products.

IMA filed the case after Patanjali ran a smear campaign against the Covid vaccination drive and modern medicine.

"The entire country was being taken for a ride through such misleading advertisements," the court had said while directing Patanjali Ayurved not to publish any advertisement related to medicines manufactured by them.

(With inputs from agencies)