Two major restaurant chains- Moti Mahal and Daryaganj – have got embroiled in a legal battle over claims for the invention of butter chicken and dal makhani. Owners of Moti Mahal restaurants have filed a case against Daryaganj restaurant in the Delhi high court over the latter’s use of the tagline “Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani”. On their official website, Daryaganj restaurant advertises themselves as the inventors of butter chicken and dal makhani.

Owners of Moti Mahal restaurants have claimed that only their predecessor Late Chef Kundan Lal Gujral has been known and identified as the sole “Inventor of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani” since the 1950s. They have accused Daryaganj restaurant owners of misappropriating their business, goodwill and reputation.

Moti Mahal has alleged that Daryaganj misrepresents to the general public by claiming that their predecessor Late Kundan Lal Jaggi was the inventor of the dishes – Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani and by falsely using the tagline “Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani”.

Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, counsel for Moti Mahal has argued in the court that the defendants are misleading the public into believing that their “DARYAGANJ” restaurants are connected with the plaintiffs’ predecessor’s first “MOTI MAHAL” restaurant in Daryaganj. And Daryaganj restaurants mislead by using a picture of the Plaintiffs’ predecessor, Kundan Lal Gujral, on their Facebook page, misrepresenting it as that of the defendants’ predecessor, Kundan Lal Jaggi.

Counsel of Moti Mahal has also alleged manipulation of the photograph of the Moti Mahal Restaurant in Peshawar on the Daryganj restaurant website, substantiating this claim with a comparison to the ‘original’ photograph shown at plaintiffs’ own website.

Meanwhile, Amit Sibal, counsel representing Daryaganj, has stated that the suit is misconceived, baseless and lacking a cause of action. Senior advocate Sibal and advocate Anand have argued in the court that the defendants have not engaged in any false representation or claim, and the allegations made in the suit are far from the truth.

With inputs from news agency ANI