Dabur India on Tuesday moved Delhi High Court against Patanjali Ayurved over the latter’s Chyawanprash ads. It has said that Patanjali’s advertisement in print and on TV has been released with the intent of allegedly to “disparage and denigrate” Dabur Chyawanprash and also “the entire category”l 

In its petition seen by businessline, Dabur India has alleged that Patanjali in its print and TV commercial has made “fallacious an deliberate misstatements and serious comparison, denigrating …defaming classical ayurvedic medicine i.e., Dabur Chyawanprash and also causes generic denigration….. disparagement of Chyawanprash in the market.” The FMCG major said that Dabur Chyawanprash is a market leader in the category with more than 60 per cent share.

It has also alleged that in its commercial Patanjali has claimed that only its product is “authentic or special”, while other brands are “fake, spurious or ordinary”.

“Negatively portray”

In its petition, Dabur India has also alleged that Patanjali’s intent and overall effect of the advertisement is to “negatively portray” other Chyawanprash products in the market including Dabur Chyawanprash. It has also alleged that Patanjali is tarnishing and denigrating the entire category as ordinary “ by conveying a message that they are not prepared as per ‘correct ayurvedic texts, therefore they are inferior, sub-standard, spurious, deficient in boosting immunity.”

It has also alleged that Patanjali “on many occasions” has created or published misleading advertisements. “ Therefore it is evident that Patanjali Ayurved “is not an innocent player or new entrant” in the market. It has also alleged that these advertisements are also against the “larger interest of the public.”

Patanjali has questioned the maintainability of the suit and has sought time to file a response. The court is expected to next hear the matter in February.