Dabur has sued Patanjali Ayurved in the Delhi High Court, claiming that the company’s advertisements defame Dabur’s Chyawanprash products.
Dabur has opposed the court’s initial desire to send the case to arbitration Because It wants immediate relief. The hearing on the case is now scheduled to take place in the last week of January.
Read on to know all the details!
Dabur sues Baba Ramdev in Delhi High Court for shoddy ads
According to the lawsuit, an advertisement featuring Patanjali founder Baba Ramdev makes false claims that only Patanjali’s Chyawanprash is “genuine” and that products from other manufacturers are inauthentic because they are ignorant of Ayurvedic customs.
According to him, “How will those who do not have knowledge of Ayurveda and Vedas be able to prepare ‘real’ Chyawanprash in the tradition of Charak, Sushruta, Dhanvantari and Chyawanrishi?”
Referencing historical Ayurvedic figures such as Charaka, Sushruta, Dhanvantari and Chyawanrishi, Baba Ramdev asks in the advertisement how people who are ignorant of Ayurvedic and Vedic traditions can make “real” Chyawanprash.
Dabur’s senior counsel Akhil Sibal argued that given its 61.6% market share in the Chyawanprash segment, these claims deceive customers and harm Dabur’s reputation.
As per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, Sibal stressed that all Chyawanprash products must contain ingredients listed in Ayurvedic texts, so allegations of inauthenticity are baseless.
Patanjali accused of being a repeat offender
Citing earlier Supreme Court contempt cases involving misleading advertisements against modern medicine, Sibal accused Patanjali of being a repeat offender.
According to him, the controversial advertisement must have influenced people’s opinion as it was aired around 900 times during three days on major TV channels like Colors, Star, Zee, Sony and Aaj Tak and was also published in Dainik Jagran .
Patanjali’s senior lawyer, Jayant Mehta, questioned whether the suit was maintainable and sought more time to respond.
The dispute between Dabur and Patanjali is not the first; In 2017, Dabur sued Patanjali for using trade dress and packaging that was allegedly similar to Dabur’s Chyawanprash, as well as for creating defamatory advertisements.
