The Delhi High Court has refused to stop a Gillette razor advertisement starring Deepika Padukone on a plea by Reckitt Benckiser which claimed the ad disparages its hair removal cream and was affecting its business.
A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva issued notice to Procter and Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd and Gillette India Ltd and sought their responses on Reckitt’s petition challenging a single-judge order refusing to grant it any interim relief.
The bench listed the matter for hearing on November 20, a day after Reckitt’s plea is to be taken up for hearing by the single judge.
The single judge had on November 3 issued notice on Reckitt’s plea and listed it for hearing on November 19 while refusing to pass any interim order staying the advertisement.
Reckitt has claimed that Gillette’s advertisement ‘Venus Razor’ disparages the reputation of its product — Veet hair removal cream — as the video terms its product as “same old”.
It said the video shows its trademark spatula, to be used with the cream, and sought that if the video’s telecast cannot be stayed then at least the spatula be masked or blurred.
It said there was “complete rejection” of its product in the video starring Padukone.
Reckitt claimed it is currently the leader in the hair removal business with a 60 per cent market share and the advertisement would seriously harm its business if allowed to go on.
The division bench, however, refused to pass any interim order as sought by Reckitt, saying “let the other side be here first”.
