Three months. That is the time a Rajkot-based Gujarati newspaper now has to drop the name Saurashtra Aaj Tak, after the Supreme Court refused to interfere with a Delhi High Court order restraining its use.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday left undisturbed a Delhi High Court order that barred the newspaper from using the name Saurashtra Aaj Tak, in effect holding that TV Today Network, which operates the news channel Aaj Tak, is the prior user of the mark [Saurashtra Aaj Tak v. TV Today Network Limited].
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana dismissed the newspaper’s petition against the High Court’s order of July 30, 2026.
Where it ended
The restraint stays. The newspaper has been allowed three months to change its name.
How the suit began
TV Today Network went to the Delhi High Court contending that Saurashtra Aaj Tak was using a name deceptively similar to its Aaj Tak mark. The High Court accepted that TV Today was the prior user and restrained the newspaper from using the impugned name.
ALSO READ: Trademark Victory for Lacoste as Delhi High Court Bars Crocodile Logo Use
The newspaper’s argument, and the Bench’s reply
Counsel for the newspaper argued that in a passing off action, the question is not one of honest user. During the hearing, Justice Bagchi observed:
Section 27 reserves the right of a common law action in passing off.
What the order signals
Prior use of a well-known media mark can found a passing off action against a similar name, even where the later user says it adopted the name honestly. That position is left undisturbed. The order also shows the Court’s reluctance to unsettle interim restraints on a mark where the prior user is established.
Case Title: Saurashtra Aaj Tak v. TV Today Network Limited [Diary No. 57080/2026]
Bench: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana, Supreme Court
Date of Order: October 7, 2026
