Delhi High Court Orders Removal of Bombay Shaving Co. Ads

The Delhi High Court has authorized Gillette India to request that social media influencers remove posts featuring a controversial advertisement by Bombay Shaving Co. (BSC). The dispute centers on the Switch4 campaign, which used a courtroom setting and referred to a rival American company as Uncle Razor, claiming BSC's four-blade cartridges could replace popular three-blade handles.

Gillette India argued the campaign unfairly portrayed its products as inferior, citing its 97% market share as evidence that it was the intended target. Justice Jyoti Singh previously ordered BSC to take down the original advertisement and submit a revised version that removed references to the court and the competitor. While BSC maintains its revised ad complies with these directions, Gillette has not accepted the new version.

The court declined to issue a blanket order to social media intermediaries. Instead, Justice Singh instructed Gillette to contact the platforms directly to request the removal of influencer content, stating that if the platforms do not comply after a request, the company can then return to the court.