A
Delhi High Court
order has shut down a website exploiting public devotion by falsely claiming to offer "prasad" from Ayodhya's Ram Temple consecration ceremony. According to a report in news agency PTI, Justice Sanjeev Narula, acting on a lawsuit by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), found the website, "Khadi Organic," deceptively resembled the plaintiff's name and trademarks. He ordered takedown of misleading social media posts and website suspension.
"The defendants appear to exploit public religious faith and deceive them into paying money, leveraging the plaintiff's goodwill," the court observed. "They falsely took money, offering no receipts or proof of delivery," court said.
KVIC argued the website sold various products and sought donations for "free prasad," falsely implying affiliation with the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
The website allegedly charged Rs 51 for Indian customers and $11 for foreign customers for "free prasad." The court found this a clear attempt to misappropriate the "Khadi" mark and mislead the public. The KVIC told the court that the defendant platform was offering various products such as garments, collectibles, food items, home temples, goods required to conduct religious ceremonies such as Gangajal and even seeking financial contributions to facilitate their free prasad initiative.
The court restrained the defendants from using the "Khadi Organic" mark and issued summons on the lawsuit.
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