Patanjali Ayurved, a company founded by yoga guru Ramdev, has approached the Delhi High Court to challenge an order that restrains the company from airing advertisements that allegedly disparage Dabur Chyawanprash, a product of Dabur India Ltd. The order was passed by a single-judge bench of the High Court, which had directed Patanjali to stop airing the advertisements that were deemed to be derogatory to Dabur’s product.
Patanjali had launched an advertising campaign for its own Chyawanprash product, which allegedly made certain claims that were found to be disparaging to Dabur Chyawanprash. Dabur had approached the court, alleging that Patanjali’s advertisements were misleading and deceitful, and were intended to harm the reputation of Dabur’s product. The court had agreed with Dabur’s contentions and passed an interim order, restraining Patanjali from airing the advertisements.
However, Patanjali has now challenged this order before a division bench of the Delhi High Court, arguing that the single-judge bench had erred in passing the order. Patanjali’s counsel argued that the advertisements in question were not disparaging to Dabur’s product, and that they were merely highlighting the benefits of Patanjali’s own Chyawanprash product. The counsel also argued that the order passed by the single-judge bench was premature, and that Patanjali should have been given an opportunity to respond to Dabur’s allegations before the order was passed.
The division bench of the High Court has now issued a notice to Dabur, seeking its response to Patanjali’s appeal. The court has also directed Patanjali to maintain the status quo with regards to the advertisements, until the next date of hearing. The matter is scheduled to be heard next on a date to be fixed by the court.
The dispute between Patanjali and Dabur is significant, as both companies are major players in the Indian ayurvedic products market. Patanjali has been expanding its product portfolio in recent years, and has been aggressively marketing its products through various advertising campaigns. Dabur, on the other hand, is a well-established company with a long history of producing ayurvedic products, including Chyawanprash. The outcome of this dispute will be closely watched, as it will have implications for the way in which companies market their products in India.