Delhi HC Bars Patanjali From Airing 'Disparaging' Ads Against Dabur Chyawanprash: What's The Issue?
It comes after Dabur filed a plea in the HC stating that the ads for 'Patanjali Special Chyawanprash' falsely claimed "no other manufacturer has knowledge to prepare Chyawanprash".
The Delhi High Court on Thursday restrained Patanjali Ayurved from running disparaging advertisements against Dabur Chyawanprash. Justice Mini Pushkarna, while hearing a plea filed by Dabur, passed an interim injunction on Thursday, stating that the ads in question appeared to target Dabur's product specifically, while also making generic derogatory claims against other Chyawanprash brands.
What's The Issue?
Patanjali Ayurved recently launched advertisements promoting its 'Patanjali Special Chyawanprash', in which it allegedly claimed that 'no other manufacturer has the knowledge to prepare Chyawanprash", and used terms like 'ordinary Chyawanprash" for other brands.
In the advertisement, Baba Ramdev is quoted as saying: ' Jinko Ayurved aur Ved ka gyaan nahi, Charak, Sushrut, Dhanwantari aur Chyawanrishi ke parampara mein ' original ' Chyawanprash kaise bana payenge'?"
Patanjali said its own product contains 51 herbs in comparison to Dabur's 40, a claim dismissed by Dabur.
These claims were perceived as disparaging not just Dabur Chyawanprash specifically, but also for other manufacturers.
Dabur, a leading FMCG firm and leading manufacturer of chyawanprash, filed a petition in the Delhi High Court stating that the advertisement for 'Patanjali Special Chyawanprash' falsely claimed that 'no other manufacturer has the knowledge to prepare Chyawanprash," suggesting that all other products were 'inferior".
'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.
The ad also allegedly referred to other brands as 'ordinary," implying a lack of authenticity and expertise in Ayurvedic formulations, it added.
The advertisement made 'untrue" claims that all other manufacturers had no knowledge of Ayurvedic texts and the formulae used to prepare Chyawanprash, Dabur said.
What Delhi HC Has Said
The court has barred Patanjali from running the diparaging ads against Dabur Chyawanprash.
Justice Mini Pushkarna allowed the interim injunction on Dabur's plea. 'Application is allowed," the judge said.
The court posted the next hearing on July 14.
The case comes months after the HC also censured Ramdev over a video containing disparaging remarks against herbal drink Rooh Afza.
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