The battle over the invention of savoury dishes, Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani has ended in the Delhi High Court. Two of Delhi's most iconic restaurants, Moti Mahal and Daryaganj remain at the core of the issue, each claiming to be the 'inventor' of the Indian dishes.
The owners of Moti Mahal restaurants have sued Daryaganj restaurant over the use of tagline "Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani". Moti Mahal restaurants have claimed that their predecessor's Late Chef Kundan Lal Gujral alone has been known and identified as the sole "Inventor of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani" since the 1950s and the tagline "Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani" acts as a brand identity of the restaurant even as on date.
They claimed that in the beginning, Gujral worried about his cooked Tandoori Chicken drying out because unsold chicken leftovers could not be kept in the refrigerator. As a result, he created a sauce, consisting of tomatoes, butter, cream and spices to help him rehydrate them, creating the iconic 'Butter Chicken'. The sauce when used with black lentils led to the creation of Dal Makhani.
The suit claimed that Daryaganj restaurant owners through their alleged that their predecessor Late Kundan Lal Jaggi was the inventor of the dishes by falsely using the tagline "Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani".
Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, Counsel for Moti Mahal, argued before the Bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula that Daryaganj restaurant are misleading the public into believing that "DARYAGANJ" restaurants are connected with the first "MOTI MAHAL" restaurant in Daryaganj. Sethi also highlighted the alleged manipulation of the photograph of the Moti Mahal Restaurant in Peshawar on Daryaganj website, substantiating this claim with a comparison to the 'original' photograph shown at Moti Mahal's own website.
After noting the submissions, the bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula recently issued summons to Daryaganj restaurant owner and other Defendants and listed the matter before Joint Registrar on March 18, 2024. Amit Sibal, Senior Counsel representing the Daryaganj, stated that the suit is misconceived, baseless and lacking a cause of action.
(With inputs from ANI)
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