Delhi High Court Slams Ghadi Ads For Mocking Surf Excel, Orders Immediate Fix
Delhi High Court ordered Ghadi detergent (RSPL) to remove negative remarks about Surf Excel in its ads. The Court said companies can promote their products but not insult competitors.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court asked RSPL Limited, the company that makes Ghadi detergent, to change its TV and online advertisements.
The Court found that these ads made negative and insulting remarks about Surf Excel, a well-known detergent brand made by Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL).
The Court gave this order on a case filed by HUL, saying that the ads by RSPL should not be shown again until changes are made.
“The Defendant (RSPL) shall carry out the proper amendments in the impugned advertisements by 24th June 2025 and only then telecast/broadcast the impugned commercials,”
-the Court ordered.
The Court pointed out three specific lines used in the ads that directly mocked and attacked Surf Excel. These lines must be completely removed from the ads. The expressions are:
- “Aapka kare badi badi baatein par dho nahi paate” (Your product makes tall claims but cannot wash).
- “Iske jhaag acche hai, daam acche hai” (Its foam is good, price is good).
- “Na Na, yeh dhoka hai” (No, No, this is a fraud).
The Court also said:
“Expressions such as ‘Na Na, yeh dhoka hai’ and ‘Aapka kare badi badi baatein, dho nahi patey’ are used in respect of the plaintiff’s product, and it is not allowed to directly attack another brand in this way.”
HUL, the maker of Surf Excel, went to the Court after sending a cease-and-desist notice to RSPL on June 7, 2025, asking them to stop the ads. But RSPL did not agree, so HUL filed a case. These ads started showing in early June 2025, and they featured popular actor Ravi Kishan.
In Court, HUL said that it has been selling Surf Excel since 1996, and the brand is well known for its distinctive blue packaging. It also said that Surf Excel makes around Rs 11,000 crore in sales every year.
HUL claimed that RSPL’s ad used blue-colored packaging, the term ‘XL Blue’, and slogans that looked similar to their famous tagline ‘Daag Acche Hai’. They said this was meant to confuse customers and insult Surf Excel.
RSPL replied that HUL does not own exclusive rights to the blue color or the word ‘Excel’. They said that many detergent brands use blue packaging, and even HUL’s trademark papers show that they do not fully claim those terms.
The Court then looked at the rules related to comparative advertising. It said that companies are allowed to advertise their own products, but they cannot do so by making fun of or insulting their competitors.
“That it is permissible for an advertiser to undertake an advertising campaign to promote its own product so long as the same is not deliberately tarnishing or defaming the competitor’s product,”
-the Court ruled.
The Judge made it clear that boosting your own product is okay, but defaming another company’s product is not allowed. The Court has now given RSPL a deadline — they must change the ads by June 24, 2025, before showing them again.
This case will be taken up again on July 16, 2025, for the next hearing.
HUL was represented in the Court by Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi along with lawyers Saikrishna Rajagopal, Vivek Ayyagari, Julien George, Arjun Ghadhoke, and Abhinav Bhalla from Saikrishna and Associates.
RSPL was represented by Senior Advocate Chander M Lall with lawyers Nancy Roy, Annanya Chug, and Prashant from Lall and Sethi.
CASE TITLE:
HINDUSTAN UNILEVER LIMITED vs RSPL LIMITED
CS(COMM) 629/2025 & CAV 232/2025
I.As. 14815/2025,14816/2025, 14817/2025, 14818/2025, 14819/2025, 14820/2025
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