'How Can You Call Everyone Else A Dhokha?': Delhi HC Pulls Up Patanjali Over Chyawanprash Ad

Last Updated:November 06, 2025, 15:53 IST

The court observed that such language was negative and derogatory while hearing Dabur India’s plea seeking a restraining order against the commercial

A view of Delhi High Court building in New Delhi. (PTI file photo)

The Delhi High Court on Thursday pulled up Patanjali Ayurved for its advertisement promoting Patanjali Chyawanprash, questioning the use of the word “Dhokha" (meaning “deception" or “fraud") to describe other brands in the market.

The court observed that such language was negative and derogatory while hearing Dabur India’s plea seeking a restraining order against the commercial.

Justice Tejas Karia, who heard the matter, issued a notice to Patanjali on Dabur’s main petition and listed it for hearing in February 2026. The judge, however, reserved orders on Dabur’s plea for interim relief seeking an immediate restraint on the ad.

Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi appeared for Dabur India Limited, while senior advocate Rajiv Nayyar represented Patanjali Ayurved Limited and Patanjali Foods Limited.

During the proceedings, Justice Karia questioned Patanjali’s counsel, saying, “How can you call everyone else a Dhokha?" It is a negative, derogatory word."

In its plea, Dabur alleged that Patanjali’s advertisement was issued with a “deliberate and malicious intent" to disparage Dabur Chyawanprash, which has been manufactured and sold since 1949.

Dabur said the commercial went beyond comparative advertising and amounted to generic disparagement of the entire Chyawanprash category by calling rival products “deceptive" or “fraudulent."

According to Dabur’s petition, the commercial, which aired on television and social media, urged consumers to “Protect themselves and their families from the daily deceptions sold in the name of Chyawanprash" and to buy “Patanjali Special Chyawanprash" instead of “Dhokha Chyawanprash."

Dabur contended that such statements unfairly malign all other Chyawanprash brands, including Dabur, which holds over 61% of the market share as of September 2025.

Patanjali, on the other hand, defended the advertisement as “puffery and hyperbole," arguing that such exaggeration is legally permissible.

Senior advocate Nayyar submitted that the commercial merely claims Patanjali’s product to be superior and does not specifically name or target Dabur. “It is saying all others are ineffective — forget other Chyawanprash, consume only mine," Nayyar said, urging the court to view the ad in its full context.

(With inputs from agencies)

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