Emami knocks on Delhi High Court doors against Ayush ministry

Emami knocks on Delhi High Court doors against Ayush ministry

With no interim relief provided to the company, the government has been asked to file its response

The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Central government on a plea by a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company Emami. The company, which sells its Chyawanprash under the name Zandu, challenged the stay imposed by the Ministry of Ayush on the company's advertisement campaign.

Emami was running a campaign to promote the product claiming that an ordinary Chyawanprash had 50 percent sugar while its product was made of jaggery (gur). (Chyawanprash is a dietary supplement made from a cooked mixture of various herbs, honey, and ghee).

However, the campaign was stopped by the ministry through a June 2021 order stating that the campaign was denigrating Chyawanprash, a classic Ayurvedic formulation prepared as per the authoritative Ayurvedic books.

The counsel appearing for Emami informed the court that the ministry's order was completely violative of commercial freedom of speech. He added that in its order, the government stated that the company could run the campaign saying its product contained jaggery, but it could not say that Chawanprash contained 50 percent sugar.

While single-judge Justice Yashwant Varma denied any interim relief to Emami, he directed the Central government to file its response by July 27.