The Delhi High Court is set to deliberate on a dispute between the Moti Mahal and Daryaganj restaurants, seeking to unravel the culinary origins of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani.
The proprietors of Moti Mahal have initiated legal action against the owners of Daryaganj restaurant, raising a dispute centered on the usage of the tagline "Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani."
Moti Mahal contends that Daryaganj Restaurant is allegedly engaging in misleading practices by creating the impression of a connection between Daryaganj Restaurant and Moti Mahal. This claim arises from the assertion that the first branch of Moti Mahal was established in the Daryaganj neighborhood of Delhi, adding a layer of complexity to the ongoing legal dispute.
The legal proceedings took a step forward on January 16, when the case was brought before Justice Sanjeev Narula. During the hearing, the court issued summons, directing the owners of Daryaganj restaurant to submit their written response to the lawsuit within a month.
Justice Narula further issued a notice on Moti Mahal's application for an interim injunction, scheduling the hearing for May 29. The ongoing legal battle between the two restaurant chains, both asserting to be the pioneers of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani, continues to unfold as they await a resolution from the court.
In the culinary clash between Moti Mahal and Daryaganj restaurant, the owners of Moti Mahal assert that the credit for the iconic dishes defining Indian cuisine worldwide goes to their predecessor, the late Kundal Lal Gujral.
On the other hand, Daryaganj restaurant contends that it was Late Kundan Lal Jaggi who originally conceived the idea for these renowned dishes. The courtroom battleground remains the arena where these conflicting claims are being debated.
“The invention of Dal Makhani is closely linked with the invention of Butter Chicken. He [Gujaral] applied the same recipe with Black lentils and gave birth to Dal Makhani around the same time,” Moti Mahal has said in suit.
While Daryaganj is yet to file its response to the suit, its lawyers appeared before the Court on January 16 and strongly contested the allegations labelling the whole suit as “baseless and lacking a cause of action”.
The defense put forth by Daryaganj restaurant revolves around the assertion that they have not made any false representations, challenging the accuracy of the allegations presented in the lawsuit. They argue that the origins of the first Moti Mahal restaurant trace back to a joint establishment by the predecessors of both parties – Gujral of Moti Mahal and Jaggi of Daryaganj restaurants – in Peshawar. This historical context forms a crucial part of their stance against the claims made in the legal dispute.
Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi and Chander M Lall along with advocate Shreya Sethi appeared for the proprietors of Moti Mahal.
Senior Advocate Amit Sibal along with advocates Pravin Anand, Dhruv Anand, Udita, Revanta Mathur, Nimrat Singh and D Khanna represented the owners of Daryaganj restaurant.
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