
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has temporarily restrained the marriage match-making firm Shaadi.com from airing its much-trumpeted advertisement on finding a bride or bridegroom in thirty days and the money back guarantee of the user fee.
Justice RMT Teekaa Raman passed the orders granting interim injunction by allowing an application filed by Matrimony.com Limited which runs the popular Bharatmatrimony.com, seeking to restrain People Interactive (I) Private Ltd., which runs Shaadi.com from airing the advertisement.
"This Court finds that the respondent by employing a misleading advertisement with falsehood has contravened the Code for Self-regulation of Advertising Content in India and indulged in unfair trade practice and he has made a false assertion that utilizing their service comes with a guarantee that the user will find a bride/bridegroom within a period of thirty days and also made a false assertion that the user shall be guaranteed money back in the event they fail to secure a bride/bridegroom," the judge said in a recent order.
However, he noted, rather, in reality, the respondent promises something contrary by saying that "If you have sent at least ten interests to members and you don't have a single acceptance within the first thirty days of becoming a premium member, we will refund your entire fee, no questions asked", which is tucked in fine print.
"On perusal of the materials, this Court finds that the said advertisement/offer of the respondent is in contravention of the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 as the "money back guarantee" advertisement/offer made by the respondent appears to be highly misleading and deceptive and the general public, in all probability, will fall prey," Justice Teekaa Raman stated.
"Hence, in the larger interest of general public, since a prima facie case is made out and to protect the general public, this Court is inclined to allow this application and to grant ad interim injunction as prayed for," the judge concluded.
The petitioner-firm had submitted that Shaddi.com is adopting untruthful, dishonest and deceitful means to advertise and promote its services on various broadcasting platforms and online websites through misleading claims fraught with falsehood and exploitative.
However, Shaadi.com contended that it was an illegal attempt to undermine or disadvantage the firm which is a competitor to the petitioner firm in the market. Moreover, it said the suit is an outburst of business rivalry.