Delhi HC schools Ramdev's Patanjali again; This time over 'Dhoka' in advertisement of Chyawanprash
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday questioned Patanjali Ayurved Limited over its television advertisement describing other Chyawanprash brands as “dhoka” (fraud), during the hearing of Dabur India’s plea alleging disparagement.
Justice Tejas Karia observed that while comparative advertising that highlights a product as “special” or others as “ordinary” is permissible, referring to competitors’ products as “dhoka” could amount to defamation. “Ordinary or special and dhoka are different. You are calling all other Chyawanprash except yours dhoka. The word in Hindi means fraud,” the judge remarked.
Dabur India, which holds over 60 percent of the Chyawanprash market, approached the court seeking an interim injunction against Patanjali’s 25-second advertisement titled “51 Herbs. 1 Truth. Patanjali Chyawanprash!” In the ad, a woman is seen feeding her child Chyawanprash and saying, “Chalo dhoka khao,” followed by Baba Ramdev stating, “Adhikansh log Chyawanprash ke naam par dhoka kha rahe hain” (“Most people are being deceived in the name of Chyawanprash”).
Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for Dabur, argued that such statements directly malign the reputation of other licensed Chyawanprash manufacturers. “Every Chyawanprash manufacturer follows the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and classical Ayurvedic formulations. By calling others dhoka, Patanjali is portraying all competitors, especially Dabur, as fraudulent,” Sethi said.
He added that the commercial was designed to “create panic” among consumers and noted that the advertisement had received over nine crore views in just a few days.
In response, Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar, representing Patanjali, defended the advertisement as permissible “puffery,” asserting that the company was only claiming superiority of its product. “By using the word dhoka, we are saying our Chyawanprash is the best and others are ordinary or ineffective. We have not called any specific product fake or spurious,” Nayar contended.
However, Justice Karia emphasized the distinction between comparative claims and disparagement: “You can say your product is special or superior, but calling others fraud crosses the boundary. Inferior and fraud have different meanings. You can say ordinary but not dhoka.”
After hearing both sides, the court reserved its order on Dabur’s plea seeking an interim injunction against the advertisement.
Earlier this year, the High Court had directed Patanjali to modify earlier Chyawanprash commercials, ordering the removal of lines such as “Why settle for ordinary Chyawanprash made with 40 herbs?” and other disparaging references to traditional Ayurvedic knowledge. Patanjali’s appeal against that order was later disposed of by a division bench, which also directed it to remove the “40 herbs” claim.
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Xi, Trump reach series of new common understandings: China's foreign ministry
Beijing (PTI): Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump had an in-depth exchange of views on major issues concerning the two countries and the world, and reached a series of new common understandings, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday.
Xi and Trump, who is on a three-day visit to China, met twice on Thursday and discussed a range of bilateral and global issues.
Trump is due to leave on Friday after a luncheon meeting with Xi.
Summing up the outcomes of Trump’s visit to Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the two presidents had an in-depth exchange of views on major issues concerning the two countries and the world and reached a series of new common understandings.
They agreed on a new vision of building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability to provide strategic guidance for bilateral relations over the next three years and beyond.
The two presidents also agreed to promote the steady, sound and sustainable development of China-US relations, and bring more peace, prosperity and progress to the world, said a statement by the ministry’s spokesperson.
Trump visited China at the invitation of Xi.
The two presidents are meeting in person again for the first time since their Busan meeting last October, and it is the first visit to China by a US president in nine years, the statement said.
On Thursday, President Xi held a welcome ceremony and a banquet for Trump, held talks and visited the Temple of Heaven with him.
VIDEO | Beijing: On second day of bilateral talks, US President Donald Trump (@POTUS) thanks Chinese President Xi Jinping for 'incredible' China trip.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 15, 2026
Trump says, "Thank you very much. This has been an incredible visit. I think a lot of good has come of it. We've made some… pic.twitter.com/7A7lbEzLdC
