YouTuber Raj Shamani Agrees Before Delhi High Court To Cut Dr Manjot Marwah's 'Disparaging' Claims On Dettol From His Podcast Video

Social media influencer Raj Shamani on Tuesday undertook before the Delhi High Court that he will edit and remove the portion of a YouTube video of his podcast wherein allegedly disparaging claims were made by dermatologist Dr. Manjot Marwah about Dettol antiseptic liquid.

Justice Saurabh Banerjee took note of Shamani's undertaking which formed part of the settlement reached between the parties. Shamani agreed to edit the part of the video wherein Marwah made references to Dettol antiseptic liquid.

The Court was hearing the disparagement suit filed by Reckitt Benckiser (India) Limited, which manufactures dettol products, against dermatologist Dr. Manjot Marwah and social media influencers Raj Shamani and Ritik Chaturvedi.

Reckitt alleged that Marwah made defamatory and disparaging remarks against “Dettol Antiseptic Liquid” product in a podcast hosted by Raj Shamani at “FiguringOut.Co” which was uploaded on his YouTube channel. Reckitt is also aggrieved by an instagram reel posted by Shamani and Marwah on their handles and reposting of the same by Ritik Chaturvedi.

The YouTube video was uploaded by Shamani on his channel on April 01. It is titled “Skin Mistakes You Didn't Know! Tanning & Sunburn EXPOSED | Dr. Manjot Marwah | FO336 Raj Shamani.” The instagram reel titled “Never Use Dettol in your Skin” was uploaded on April 04.

In the pre lunch session, the counsels for Marwah, Shamani and Chaturvedi appeared before the Court. At the outset, Shamani's counsel said that he has instructions that the impugned portion from the podcast containing references to Dettol will be deleted by editing the YouTube video.

“I am saying it's a one hour video. One and half minutes of clip with reference to Dettol. To put a quietus to it, we will edit that and remove dettol part,” the counsel said.

While Justice Banerjee suggested that a more practical solution would be to take down the video entirely and upload a fresher version of it, the counsel said that his instructions are only to edit the impugned portion with reference to Dettol antiseptic liquid from the podcast video.

Marwah's counsel also said that in order to put a quietus to the dispute, the dermatologist has already removed the reel posted on her instagram account which had reference to Dettol antiseptic liquid. The Court was also informed that Chaturvedi also removed the reel uploaded by him on his instagram account.

During the post-lunch session, both parties told the Court that they drafted a settlement agreement.

In view of the settlement, the Court directed that the impugned video be edited within 24 hours of the order. It further restrained Shamani from reuploading the impugned content. It also directed Marwah and Chaturvedi to act as per the settlement agreement.

The suit stems from a legal notice issued by Reckitt to Marwah, Shamani, Chaturvedi as well as Meta Platforms and YouTube.

Reckitt is aggrieved by Marwah's allegedly defamatory statements that Dettol antiseptic liquid cannot be used as a drug or medicine and it is to be used as a floor cleaning liquid for mopping floors. It has been submitted that the Podcast and reel were accentuated by malice for personal monetary gain and possibly released at the instance of a business competitor.

Reckitt has also said being a dermatologist, Marwah ought to know the essential difference between antiseptic liquid and disinfectant. As per Reckitt, while an antiseptic liquid can be used as a disinfectant, a disinfectant cannot be used on human skin.

Reckitt is also aggrieved by Marwah's claim that Dettol antiseptic liquid burns the wound or skin and delays healing.

Appearances: Senior Advocate Chander M Lal appeared for Reckitt. Samani was represented by Senior Advocate Satvik Varma and Advocates Nakul Gandhi, Mujeeb Rehman and Tanish Gupta. 

Title: Reckitt Benckiser India Private Limited v. Dr. Manjot Marwah & Ors. 

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Del) 426