Butter Chicken bitterness: Indian restaurant sues rival chain over ‘invention’ claim

Butter chicken is a comfort food for many people around the globe. The simple Indian curry truly has thepower to lift your mood, especially in winter. But the famous dish (along with Dal Makhni) has become the topic of legal feud between two restaurant chains in Indian capital New Delhi. Moti Mahal, a famous restaurant chain, has approached Delhi High Court and filed a lawsuit against Daryaganj, another famous restaurant chain. The issue? Who can have that tagline 'Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhni' dishes.

From its corner in the legal ring, Moti Mahal claims that its late chef Kundan Lal Gujral invented the dishes and so it should have the coveted tagline. Moti Mahal says that Gujral was recognised among locals as the inventor of the dishes since 1950s. The restaurant chain also says that the tagline "Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani" is part of its own brand identity.

Moti Mahal claims that Daryaganj restaurant wrongly saysthat it was itsown chef late Kundan Lal Jaggi who invented the dishes. Moti Mahal alleges that Daryaganj misappropriated its business goodwill and reputation.

Watch | Pakistan: Shoaib Malik ties knot amid divorce rumours with Sania Mirza

Sandeep Sethi, the lawyer representing Moti Mahal, made an argument before the court that Moti Mahal restaurant has been operating since the 1920s and Daryaganj is misleading the public by making claims about the dishes and even misrepresenting Gujral's (Moti Mahal chef) image as that of Kundan Lal Jaggi(Daryaganj chef).

Also Read | Angry customer gets parcel service's AI to write poem on how bad it is

The lawyer also alleged that Daryaganj was making use of a manipulated picture, which actually is Moti Mahal Restaurant in Peshawar. To substantiate his claim, he presented an 'original' picture of the restaurant.

Also Read | Mars rock resembling iconic Star Trek symbol snapped by NASA’s Curiosity rover

As per media reports, the case came before the court on January 16. Bar and Bench reported that Daryaganj is yet to file its response but its lawyers appeared in court on January 16 and strongly denied Moti Mahal's claim. Daryaganj has said that the lawsuit brought in by Moti Mahal was “baseless and lacking a cause of action”. The lawyers of Daryaganj said that the restaurant chain did not make any false representation about Butter Chicken and Dal Makhni.

They said that Moti Mahal restaurant was established jointly by Gujaral (of Moti Mahal) and Jaggi (of Daryaganj) in Peshawar, the city which is now in Pakistan following the partition of British India in 1947.

(With inputs from agencies)