Culinary Clash: Moti Mahal Files Lawsuit in Delhi HC against Daryaganj Over Butter Chicken & Dal Makhani Credits

A dispute over the invention credits for Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani has landed in the Delhi High Court, where Moti Mahal, a restaurant chain, has filed a lawsuit against the renowned eatery Daryaganj for allegedly falsely attributing the creation of these globally renowned dishes to their predecessor.

Moti Mahal contends that it was Late Kundal Lal Gujral, their predecessor, who originated the recipes for Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani. On the contrary, they accuse Daryaganj of misleading the public by claiming their predecessor as the inventor of these dishes.

Moti Mahal’s proprietors have sought a legal injunction to prevent Daryaganj restaurants from asserting that Late Kundan Lal Jaggi was the innovator of these iconic dishes. The lawsuit specifically targets Daryaganj’s use of the tagline “by the inventors of butter chicken and dal makhani” on various platforms, including their website www.daryaganj.com and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter, as well as in print and electronic media.

Justice Sanjeev Narula recently issued a summons to the owners of Daryaganj restaurants, instructing them to submit a written statement in response to the lawsuit along with an affidavit either admitting or denying the documents presented by the plaintiffs. The court has scheduled further hearings on the matter for May 29.

Both restaurant chains have long asserted their roles in the invention of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani. In Moti Mahal’s lawsuit, they assert that Gujral, their predecessor, not only created the first Tandoori Chicken but also invented Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani, introducing these dishes to India post-partition. According to their claims, Gujral devised a sauce to rehydrate unsold leftover chicken, giving birth to the ‘makhani’ or butter sauce, which imparts the dishes with their distinctive tangy and delectable taste.

Moti Mahal contends that the invention of Dal Makhani is closely linked to Butter Chicken, as Gujral applied the same recipe with black lentils, resulting in the creation of Dal Makhani around the same time.

During a recent hearing, the counsel representing Daryaganj restaurants vehemently opposed Moti Mahal’s claims, asserting that the lawsuit was misconceived, baseless, and lacked a valid cause of action. The defense argued that there were no false representations or claims by the defendants, and the allegations in the suit were far from the truth.

Regarding a photograph of the Moti Mahal restaurant in Peshawar, the defense counsel argued that it was jointly established by the predecessors of both parties (Gujral of Moti Mahal and Jaggi of Daryaganj), thereby challenging any exclusive rights claims over the image made by the plaintiffs.