Patanjali Ayurved Challenges Delhi HC Order Banning Ads Defaming Dabur’s Chyawanprash
Patanjali Ayurved has approached the Delhi High Court, challenging a single judge’s order that restrained it from airing advertisements allegedly defaming Dabur India’s Chyawanprash. The appeal was heard by a division bench of Justices C. Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla, who, after hearing both parties, scheduled the next hearing for September 23. The court, however, orally observed that the single judge’s order was discretionary in nature, questioning the necessity of Patanjali’s appeal.
During the proceedings, the bench remarked that Patanjali’s advertisements appeared to defame all manufacturers of Chyawanprash by implying that others “don’t know how to make it.” The court told Patanjali’s counsel, senior advocate Jayant Mehta, that there was no case of “irreparable harm” warranting interference and warned that if the appeal was found to be frivolous, a fine would be imposed on the company. Justice Shankar further noted that the court would not entertain “luxury litigation” and hinted that Patanjali might face financial penalties for filing unnecessary appeals.
The dispute stems from an order passed on July 3, when a single judge directed Patanjali to modify its advertisements promoting its own Chyawanprash. The court found that Patanjali’s TV commercial portrayed rival products as “ordinary” and “not prepared as per Ayurvedic knowledge,” remarks considered disparaging to competitors, including Dabur. The order required Patanjali to remove the lines “Why settle for ordinary Chyawanprash made from 40 herbs?” and “Those who lack knowledge of Ayurveda and the Vedas, how can they prepare the original Chyawanprash,” from its TV and print advertisements.
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