How can you call other chyawanprash products ‘dhokha’, Delhi High Court asks Patanjali       

The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked Patanjali Ayurved how it can call other chyawanprash products as "dhokha", which means "fraud" and deception.

The high court said yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali needs to consider using any other word in its advertisements and while comparison between his product and that of others is allowed, disparaging other products is not permitted.

The court reserved its order on a plea by Dabur India seeking interim injunction against Patanjali's "disparaging" advertisement.

"You can claim that you are the best but you cannot call others 'dhokha' which, in the English dictionary means fraud and deception," Justice Tejas Karia said.

The counsel for Patanjali claimed that by the word 'dhokha', Ramdev means 'ordinary'.

"I am saying all others are 'sadharan' - ordinary chyawanprash. The meaning it conveys is that I am saying all others are ineffective.

"This is an extension of the last advertisement. When I say dhokha, I mean to say that I am special and others are ordinary," senior advocate Rajiv Nayar, representing Patanjali Ayurved, said.

The court was hearing a plea by Dabur India which is aggrieved by the 25-second advertisement issued by Patanjali titled "51 herbs. 1 truth. Patanjali Chyawanprash!"

In Patanjali's advertisement, a woman is seen feeding chyawanprash to her kid saying "Chalo dhokha khao". Thereafter, Ramdev says "adhikansh log Chyawanprash ke naam par dhokha kha rahe hain".

Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for Dabur India, alleged that Ramdev was trying to create communal divide only to sell his products.