Delhi High Court asks Patanjali to remove ads targeting Dabur’s chyawanprash

New Delhi — The Delhi High Court has ordered Patanjali Ayurved to take down advertisements that allegedly portray Dabur’s chyawanprash as unsafe and inferior. The decision came after Dabur filed a complaint saying Patanjali’s campaign was misleading and hurt its reputation in the market.

What the court said

Justice Mini Pushkarna passed the interim order after reviewing ads where Patanjali, co-founded by Baba Ramdev, suggested that only its chyawanprash is made with true Ayurvedic knowledge and ancient traditions.

One of the controversial lines from the ad stated:

"Those who don't have knowledge of Ayurveda and Vedas, how will they make 'original' chyawanprash in the tradition of Charak, Sushrut, Dhanwantari and Chyawanrishi?"

The court noted that such statements could unfairly influence consumer choices and fall under disparagement of a competitor’s product.

Dabur’s side of the story

Dabur, which controls around 61.6% of India’s chyawanprash market, argued that:

• Patanjali’s ads directly question the authenticity of Dabur’s product.

• All chyawanprash products, including Dabur’s, follow strict rules under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

• The ad wrongly suggests Dabur lacks Ayurvedic knowledge.

A specific point raised by Dabur was Patanjali’s comment about “ordinary 40-herb chyawanprash,” which Dabur believes is a disguised attack on its own chyawanprash marketed as containing “40+ herbs.”

Impact on consumer trust

Dabur’s lawyers stressed that such ads harm not just Dabur’s brand but also shake public confidence in the entire chyawanprash category, which has been trusted for decades for its health benefits.

History of rivalry

This isn’t the first legal dispute between the two companies. Back in 2017, Dabur had also taken Patanjali to court, accusing it of running similar negative campaigns and copying Dabur’s packaging style, which could confuse buyers.

What’s next

With the court’s interim order, Patanjali must now stop publishing and circulating these controversial ads while the case continues. The legal battle highlights how competitive and sensitive India’s large Ayurvedic product market has become.