The Delhi High Court on Friday questioned whether it has territorial jurisdiction to hear Hindustan Unilever Ltd’s (HUL) plea against home-care brand Beco over advertisements alleging that HUL’s Surf Excel and Vim products contain chemicals that can cause skin irritation and allergies.
“Jurisdiction comes first… Delhi High Court cannot be the only IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) court of the country,” said Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani during the arguments. An IPR court handles legal disputes over patents, trademarks, copyrights, and designs.
The question of jurisdiction arose when senior counsel appearing for Beco argued that HUL’s principal place of business and the identified physical advertisement are in Mumbai. The court also questioned whether the mere availability of Beco’s social media posts and website in Delhi can give rise to a cause of action here.
The judge also suggested that HUL could withdraw the plea and approach the Bombay High Court. “If you want to put paid to this argument on jurisdiction, withdraw it, go to Bombay,” Bhambhani said.
Beco's counsel argued that HUL must show that Beco specifically targeted Delhi through its online activities for the court to claim jurisdiction.
“Not the availability, not that my advertisement is seen. I am specifically targeting Delhi consumers to look at this ad and be informed by it is what they would have to plead and show,” Beco’s counsel argued.
The matter will be heard for final arguments on Monday.Email queries sent to HUL and Beco were not answered till presstime.
Beco named HUL’s Surf Excel and Vim Dishwash Gel in its advertising campaign, #WarOnWhatsHidden, and asked consumers about the ingredients in the products they use every day.
The campaign features out-of-home hoardings and video commercials stating that the products contain ingredients such as benzisothiazolinone (BIT) and linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS).
Beco also says its own laundry and dishwash products are formulated without BIT and LAS.
Founded in 2019 by Aditya Ruia, Akshay Varma, and Anuj Ruia, the company has investors like Tanglin Venture Partners, Titan Capital Winners Fund, Asian Paints promoter Manish Choksi, Rukam Capital, and Synergy Capital, among others.
It works with a focus on sustainable & eco-friendly alternatives to single-use plastics and packaging for products in the homecare and personal care segments like dishwash liquid, floor cleaner, laundry liquid, facial tissue, bamboo toothbrush among others.
Market research firm NIQ, in its report titled Who’s Really Winning FMCG Volume Growth in 2026?, said that Beco’s volume grew 609% in 2025. The company reported a revenue of ₹111 crore in FY25 with a ₹21.7 crore loss, according to market intelligence platform Tracxn.
Yash Tiwari is a Mumbai-based journalist who reports on corporate and regulatory developments, with a focus on court-driven policy shifts and the intersection of law and public policy. He has been in the profession for two years. Before joining Mint, he worked at NDTV Profit as an assistant producer on the TV desk while also reporting, gaining experience across television and print journalism and combining reporting with production expertise.<br><br> Born in Kolkata, a city he remains deeply connected to, Yash has a keen interest in the technicalities of Indian law and aims to decode complex legal developments in a clear and accessible manner for readers. He is a graduate of the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, where he completed his postgraduate diploma in journalism.<br><br> He closely follows politics and government policies, and has covered several state elections as a freelance journalist. His work is driven by the idea of making law less intimidating and more understandable for the general public.<br><br> When not at work, Yash can be found playing cricket, revisiting classic matches, or engaging in conversations about the evolving landscape of law and policy in India.
Neethi Lisa Rojan is a senior correspondent focusing on the consumer goods and retail sector working from Mumbai for Mint since 2026. She has been a journalist for a little over two years with Moneycontrol and The Morning Context. She has covered the consumer and healthcare sectors in earlier roles. She was a double gold medallist during her bachelor’s from Mahatma Gandhi University Kerala and post-graduation from Pondicherry University. With a background in commerce and journalism, she brings a sharp analytical lens to stories on India’s fast-evolving consumer goods and retail sector.<br><br>With an academic background in business administration and a keen eye for financial statement analysis, she bridges the gap between corporate data and compelling narrative journalism. Her reporting is characterized by a focus on how evolving consumer behaviours and regulatory changes impact India's largest mass-market brands. She is a keen learner with diplomas in international business, human rights and journalism. She specialized in business journalism at the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. When she is not looking into shopping carts, you can find her explaining the latest conspiracy theory.
