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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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
