Dabur files lawsuit against Patanjali over misleading Chyawanprash ads

Dabur has reportedly filed a lawsuit before the Delhi High Court, alleging that Patanjali Ayurved is running disparaging advertisements against its Chyawanprash products. The consumer goods company seeks immediate orders to restrain Patanjali from airing the controversial advertisement. The case was listed for hearing at the end of January, with Justice Mini Pushkarna issuing a notice.

Dabur is specifically aggrieved by an advertisement featuring Patanjali founder Swami Ramdev, in which he questions the authenticity of other Chyawanprash brands. Ramdev’s statement implies that only Patanjali’s Special Chyawanprash is 'original', while other brands, including Dabur, are labelled as lacking proper Ayurvedic knowledge.

Representing Dabur, Senior Advocate Akhil Sibal argued that Patanjali's advertisement disparages the entire category of Chyawanprash, a traditional Ayurvedic remedy. He cited the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, stating that all Chyawanprash products must adhere to specific formulations prescribed in ancient Ayurvedic texts. Sibal emphasised that calling other products 'ordinary' was misleading, damaging to Dabur, which holds a 61.6% market share, and could mislead consumers into believing that other brands are inferior or unsafe.

Sibal also raised concerns about the impact of the advertisement, pointing out that it has aired 900 times in the past three days on multiple TV channels, including Colors, Star, Zee, Sony, and Aaj Tak. The ad has also been published in the Delhi edition of Dainik Jagran.

Senior Advocate Jayant Mehta, representing Patanjali, questioned the maintainability of the suit and requested more time to file a response. Justice Pushkarna had initially expressed an inclination to refer the matter to mediation but agreed to proceed with the case after Dabur pressed for urgent relief.