Reckitt, the maker of Dettol, has told the Delhi High Court that it has settled a defamation lawsuit with social media influencer Raj Shamani. The suit was over Shamani’s allegedly disparaging comments about Dettol antiseptic liquid. The comments came from a dermatologist named Dr. Manjot Marwah who appeared in a podcast episode with Shamani.
“it has settled the dispute with influencer Raj Shamani. However, it will proceed against dermatologist Dr. Manjot Marwah over disparaging comments regarding Dettol made on a podcast.” said the company
Although the case has been settled between Reckitt and Shamani, as per the reports, Reckitt will continue its defamation lawsuit against dermatologist Dr. Marwah, whose comments in a podcast allegedly sparked the controversy about Dettol antiseptic liquid.
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Reckitt informed the court that despite a previous undertaking to remove content, Dr. Manjot Marwah had posted two new reels commenting on the court proceedings and reiterating the podcast content.
“I spoke with the counsel of Marwah, after which she removed it, but there is no guarantee that she would not do it again,” said Reckitt, expressing concerns about potential future posts.
Reckitt filed a lawsuit against influencers Raj Shamani, Dr. Manjot Marwah, and Ritik Chaturvedi over comments made about Dettol in a podcast and an Instagram reel.
The podcast episode, titled “Skin Mistakes You Didn’t Know! Tanning & Sunburn EXPOSED,” and the reel captioned “Never Use Dettol on Your Skin,” were accused of containing “false, misleading, disparaging, and defamatory” statements about the product.
The settlement with Raj Shamani comes after an April 8 court hearing where he agreed to edit and remove a 90-second segment of the podcast referencing Dettol. Shamani claimed the segment was part of a longer, hour-long video.
The Delhi High Court, led by Justice Saurabh Banerjee, directed Shamani to complete the edits within 24 hours and barred him from reuploading the original content. Meanwhile, Marwah and Chaturvedi had already removed the related Instagram reel from their accounts as part of their settlement terms, although the specific details of their settlements aren’t mentioned for Marwah it is mentioned Reckitt is proceeding.
Reckitt’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate Chander M. Lall, argued that Dettol is a licensed antiseptic product approved for skin use in India since 1936. Lall emphasized that Dettol is classified as a drug under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and defined as an antiseptic under the Indian Pharmacopoeia. He called Dr. Manjot Marwah’s claims—labeling Dettol as a floor cleaner unfit for skin and alleging it delays wound healing—“blatantly false and slanderous.”
Reckitt alleged that the content, with over 236,000 YouTube views and 2.4 million Instagram views, was aimed at boosting the podcast’s popularity and promoting Dr. Manjot Marwah’s dermatology clinic. The company also suggested that the content might have been created at the behest of a competitor.
The dispute between Reckitt and Raj Shamani has been resolved amicably. However, Reckitt’s decision to proceed against Dr. Manjot Marwah indicates ongoing concerns about her statements regarding Dettol.
Although Reckitt and Shamani had reportedly signed a settlement application on May 1, the court requires a formal compromise application under Order 23 Rule 3 of the Civil Procedure Code to finalize the settlement terms. The case remains pending until this application is reviewed.
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