'Jinko Ayurved aur Vedo ka gyaan nahi…': Patanjali's ad against Dabur Chyawanprash comes under HC fire

The Delhi High Court on Thursday restrained Patanjali from running ‘disparaging’ advertisements against Dabur Chyawanprash and questioning the authenticity of non-Patanjali ‘chyawanprash’ products.

Justice Mini Pushkarna allowed Dabur’s interim injunction plea which alleged “Patanjali Special Chyawanprash” was “disparaging DABUR Chyawanprash specifically” and chyawanprash in general, by claiming that “no other manufacturer has the knowledge to prepare chyawanprash”.

The high court posted the matter for further hearing on July 14.

“Jinko Ayurved aur Vedo ka gyaan nahi, Charak, Sushrut, Dhanwantari aur Chyawanrishi ke parampara mei ‘original’ Chyawanprash kaise bana payenge?” read the alleged advertisement in question.

“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.

Dabur objected to specific references in Patanjali's advertisements calling a 40-herb chyawanprash “ordinary”, denoting that all other chyawanprash were "inferior".

The advertisement also made "untrue" claims that all other manufacturers had no knowledge of Ayurvedic texts and the formulae used to prepare chyawanprash, it submitted.

To label other brands as “ordinary” was both misleading and harmful, Dabur submitted.

Maintaining that chyawanprash was a classic Ayurvedic medicine regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, which mandates adherence to prescribed formulations based on ancient ayurvedic texts, Dabur contended that the ad misled consumers and undermined their confidence in a category of products governed by strict regulatory standards.