The Bombay High Court imposed a fine of ₹4 crore on Patanjali Ayurved Ltd on Monday for allegedly violating a 2023 interim order that barred the company from selling its camphor products. This case involves a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by Mangalam Organics Ltd. Justice R. I. Chagla, presiding over the case, stated that Patanjali had ‘wilfully and deliberately’ breached the court’s order, and the court had no doubt about the company’s intention to disregard the ruling.
The court dismissed a petition by Mangalam Organics Ltd, which sought contempt action against Patanjali for continuing to sell camphor products despite the restraining order. Justice Chagla ordered Patanjali to deposit ₹4 crore within two weeks, in addition to the ₹50 lakh the court had previously required the company to deposit earlier this month.
The interim order issued by the high court in August 2023 prohibited Patanjali from selling or advertising its camphor products. Mangalam Organics had sued the company, alleging copyright infringement of its camphor products, and later claimed that Patanjali was in breach of the interim order by continuing to sell the products.
The court also considered a June 2024 affidavit from Rajneesh Mishra, a director at Patanjali, who offered an unconditional apology and promised to comply with the court’s orders. Mishra’s affidavit revealed that the cumulative sales of the contested camphor product amounted to ₹49,57,861 after the injunction was issued.
The bench noted that while there was a case for imprisoning Mishra, it refrained from doing so to protect his personal liberty. However, the court warned that if the ₹4 crore fine was not paid within two weeks, Mishra would be taken into custody immediately.
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