Delhi High Court bars Patanjali from airing ad calling rival Chyawanprash brands ‘dhoka’

The Delhi High Court has restrained Patanjali Ayurved, led by Baba Ramdev, from airing or circulating its latest advertisement for Patanjali Special Chyawanprash, which allegedly described all competing chyawanprash brands as “dhoka” — meaning fraud or deception. The interim order was passed by Justice Tejas Karia after Dabur India filed a suit for disparagement and unfair competition, as reported by Bar and Bench.

The Court directed that the advertisement be taken down from all platforms — including national television channels, OTT services, print and digital media, and social media accounts — within three days. Justice Karia stated that all broadcasters, OTT platforms, and online intermediaries must block or disable the commercial across every electronic and digital medium.

Dabur, which holds a 61% market share in the chyawanprash segment, approached the Court claiming that Patanjali’s advertisement misled consumers by implying that all other chyawanprash products in the market were fake, while portraying its own as the only authentic Ayurvedic formulation. The company argued that such claims not only tarnished the reputation of Dabur Chyawanprash, which has been sold since 1949, but also eroded public trust in the wider chyawanprash category and Ayurveda-based health products.

The commercial reportedly featured Baba Ramdev, who cautioned viewers that “most people are being duped in the name of chyawanprash,” before promoting Patanjali’s version as the “original” product. Dabur contended that this amounted to generic disparagement of all rival products in the market.

After reviewing the content, the Court observed that the advertisement indeed sought to disparage the entire chyawanprash category, especially given Baba Ramdev’s high public influence and credibility in yoga and Ayurveda.

It noted that an average viewer would likely accept his assertions as factual and disregard other brands.

Justice Karia stated that even though the ad did not explicitly name Dabur, its message calling every other chyawanprash “dhoka” would inevitably harm the market leader. The Court concluded that a prima facie case existed for an injunction, adding that a misleading advertisement could cause irreparable loss to Dabur, whereas halting the broadcast would not materially harm Patanjali.

The Court’s injunction now prevents Patanjali from airing or distributing the controversial advertisement in any form.

Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, along with advocates R Jawahar Lal, Anirudh Bakhru, Meghna Kumar and Krisna Gambhir, represented Dabur. Senior Advocates Rajiv Nayar and Jayant Mehta, assisted by advocates Rahul Sahay, Rishabh Pant, Neha Gupta, Abhijeet Kr Pandey, Osheen Verna and Pratham Arora, appeared for Patanjali.