Delhi High Court Halts Patanjali's Disparaging Ads Against Dabur's Chyawanprash

In a significant ruling, the Delhi High Court has ordered Patanjali Ayurved to cease airing advertisements that allegedly defame Dabur's Chyawanprash. The court's decision follows a petition from Dabur, which accused Patanjali of making misleading claims about its product's authenticity. The case highlights ongoing tensions in the Ayurvedic product market, with the court set to hear further arguments on July 14. This ruling adds to Ramdev's controversial history with advertising claims, raising questions about consumer trust in Ayurvedic products.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jul 3, 2025, 15:39 IST

Court Ruling on Patanjali's Advertisements

The Delhi High Court has issued an order preventing Patanjali Ayurved, led by yoga guru Ramdev, from airing advertisements that allegedly defame Dabur's Chyawanprash product. This decision was made following a petition from Dabur, which claimed that Patanjali's ads suggested that no other company possessed the expertise to create Chyawanprash.

Justice Mini Pushkarna delivered the interim ruling, addressing concerns raised by Dabur regarding Patanjali's claims about its Chyawanprash formulation, which is a traditional Ayurvedic health supplement made from a mixture of sugar, honey, ghee, Indian gooseberry, and various herbs.

The controversy began when Patanjali aired an advertisement featuring Ramdev, who cast doubt on the authenticity of Chyawanprash products from other brands. Dabur's petition highlighted that Patanjali referred to its own '40-herb' Chyawanprash as 'ordinary', which was seen as a direct attack on Dabur's product that boasts '40+ herbs'.

Dabur argued that labeling other brands as 'ordinary' was misleading and detrimental. The petition further claimed that such statements misrepresented Patanjali's own product, questioned Dabur's commitment to Ayurvedic principles, and portrayed Dabur's offering as inferior.

According to Dabur, these advertisements could erode consumer trust in a product category that is subject to stringent regulatory oversight. The claims made by Patanjali were described as 'false', asserting that other manufacturers lacked the knowledge of Ayurvedic texts necessary for producing Chyawanprash.

Dabur also pointed out that Patanjali has a history of similar advertising issues, referencing previous court orders regarding contempt proceedings against the company.

The court is scheduled to revisit this case on July 14.

Earlier in April, the Delhi High Court had instructed Ramdev to retract advertisements that claimed Hamdard's Rooh Afza drink was involved in a so-called 'sharbat jihad'. Following a warning from the court in May regarding new videos targeting Hamdard, Ramdev stated he would refrain from making further statements or social media posts against Rooh Afza.