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Delhi High Court – Orders
L And T Finance Limited vs Www.Aadharcash.Com & Ors on 28 July, 2025
$~45
* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI
+ CS(COMM) 752/2025
L AND T FINANCE LIMITED .....Plaintiff
Through: Mr. Saif Khan, Mr. Shobhit Agarwal,
Mr. Prajjwal Kushwaha and Ms.
Meghana Kudligi, Advocates.
versus
WWW.AADHARCASH.COM & ORS. .....Defendants
Through:
CORAM:
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE TEJAS KARIA
ORDER
% 28.07.2025
I.A. 17888/2025 (Exemption from pre-institution Mediation)
1. This is an Application filed by the Plaintiff seeking exemption from
instituting pre-litigation Mediation under Section 12 A of the Commercial
Courts Act, 2015 (“CC Act“).
2. As the present matter contemplates urgent interim relief, in light of
the judgment of the Supreme Court in Yamini Manohar v. T.K.D. Krithi
2023 SCC OnLine SC 1382, exemption from the requirement of
pre-institution Mediation is granted.
3. The Application stands disposed of.
I.A. 17889/2025 (Exemption from advance service to the Defendant Nos.
1 to 3)
4. This is an Application filed by the Plaintiff under Section 151 of the
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 1 of 16
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Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (“CPC“), seeking exemption from advance
service to the Defendant Nos. 1 to 3.
5. Mr. Saif Khan, learned Counsel for the Plaintiff, submitted that there
is a real and imminent likelihood that the Defendant Nos. 1 to 3 may take
immediate steps to dispose of, conceal or suppress its infringing business
operations and digital footprints bearing the Copyright material and the
deceptively similar Websites.
6. In view of the fact that the Plaintiff has sought an urgent ex parte
ad-interim injunction, the exemption from advance service to the Defendant
Nos. 1 to 3 is granted.
7. The Application stands disposed of.
I.A. 17890/2025 (Exemption from two months prior notice upon
Defendant Nos. 6 to 8)
8. The present Application has been filed under Section 80 of the CPC
seeking exemption from two months‟ prior notice upon the Defendant Nos.
6 to 8.
9. In view of the urgent relief and the nature of relief sought against
Defendant Nos. 6 to 8, the Plaintiff is exempted from effecting two months‟
prior notice under Section 80 of the CPC upon Defendant Nos. 6 to 8.
10. The Application stands disposed of.
I.A. 17891/2025 (Additional Documents)
11. The present Application has been filed on behalf of the Plaintiffs
under Order XI Rule 1(4) of the CPC as applicable to Commercial Suits
under the CC Act seeking leave to place on record additional documents.
12. The Plaintiff is permitted to file additional documents in accordance
with the provisions of the CC Act and the Delhi High Court (Original Side)
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 2 of 16
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Rules, 2018.
13. The Application stands disposed of.
CS(COMM) 752/2025
14. Let the Plaint be registered as a Suit.
15. Issue summons to the Defendants through all permissible modes upon
filing of the Process Fee.
16. The Summons shall state that the Written Statement(s) shall be filed
by the Defendants within four weeks from the date of the receipt of
Summons. Along with the Written Statement(s), the Defendants shall also
file an Affidavit(s) of Admission / Denial of the documents of the Plaintiff,
without which the Written Statement(s) shall not be taken on record.
17. Liberty is granted to the Plaintiff to file Replication(s), if any, within
thirty days from the receipt of the Written Statement(s). Along with the
Replication(s) filed by the Plaintiff, Affidavit(s) of Admission / Denial of
the documents of Defendants be filed by the Plaintiff, without which the
Replication(s) shall not be taken on record.
18. The Parties shall file all original documents in support of their
respective claims along with their respective pleadings. In case any Party is
placing reliance on a document, which is not in their power and possession,
its details and source shall be mentioned in the list of reliance, which shall
also be filed with the pleadings.
19. If any of the Parties wish to seek inspection of any documents, the
same shall be sought and given within the prescribed timelines.
20. List before the Joint Registrar on 24.09.2025 for completion of
service and pleadings.
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 3 of 16
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I.A. 17887/2025 (U/O XXXIX Rule 1 & 2 of CPC)
21. Issue Notice through all permissible modes upon filing of the Process
Fees.
22. The present Suit has been filed seeking relief of permanent injunction
restraining Defendant Nos. 1 to 3 (“Contesting Defendants”) from
infringement of Copyright, Passing Off, Unfair Competition, Delivery Up,
Rendition of Accounts, Damages along with other ancillary reliefs.
23. The Plaintiff is a Company incorporated under the Companies Act,
1956 and is a Non-Banking Financial Company (“NBFC”) registered under
the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and is, inter alia, engaged in the
business of offering a range of financial products and services including
providing finance to its customers. The Plaintiff has secured the highest
credit rating- „AAA‟, from four leading rating agencies. The Plaintiff
operates through a wide network of branches across India. The market
capitalisation of the Plaintiff was ₹39,362.59 Crores as on 31.03.2024.
24. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that the Plaintiff
operates a dynamic and fully interactive website in the form and name of
www.ltfinance.com (“Plaintiff’s Website”), which was created as far back
as 1998 and is accessible across the world. The Plaintiff‟s Website contains
various graphical depictions and photographs, all of which are original
works of the Plaintiff, eligible for protection under the Copyright Act, 1957
(“Copyright Act“). The services of the Plaintiff can also be availed through
its mobile application known as “L&T Finance Planet”, which is available
for download, both on Google Play Store as well as the Apple App Store.
Screenshots of the Plaintiff‟s Website are reproduced hereunder:
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 4 of 16
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CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 5 of 16This is a digitally signed order.
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25. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that the Plaintiff‟s
parent company, i.e., Larson & Toubro Limited (“L&T”) is also the
registered proprietor of various L&T formative Trade Marks in India. The
Plaintiff is duly authorized by the Plaintiff‟s parent company, i.e., L&T to
use and exploit the said Trade Marks vide License Agreement dated
16.10.2024. The Trade Marks registered in favour of L&T are reproduced
hereunder:
S. No. Trade Mark Application No. and Date Class 1. 407686 dated 08.07.1983 19 2. L&T Finance 1840421 dated 16.07.2009 36 (word mark) CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 6 of 16 This is a digitally signed order.
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3. L&T Finance 1840422 dated 16.07.2009 36
Bonds (word
mark)
4. 2623379 dated 05.11.2013 36
5. 2623381 dated 05.11.2013 36
6. 2623380 dated 05.11.2013 36
7. 6124563 dated 25.09.2023 36
26. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that since its
inception, L&T has been continuously and exclusively, in the course of
trade, using its “L&T” Trade Mark in relation to its myriad of services. The
Plaintiff was incorporated in 2008 and has been providing Finance and
Investment related services under the Mark “L&T Finance” ever since.
Through this consistent use, the Plaintiff has successfully built a valuable
brand, along with substantial goodwill and reputation. The Plaintiff‟s “L&T
Finance” formative Trade Marks hold tremendous goodwill and a strong
reputation throughout India.
27. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that the Plaintiff first
became aware of the Contesting Defendants and their infringing activities on
18.07.2025, when the Plaintiff came to know about the website
www.aadharcash.com, i.e., Defendant No. 1, which is being used to provide
loans to bona fide members of the society. Defendant No. 1 was created on
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 7 of 16
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15.06.2025 by Mr. Karan Raj. Defendant No. 1 is registered with the
Domain Name Registrar, GMO Internet Inc., i.e. Defendant No. 4.
28. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that Defendant No. 1
is not just identical to the Plaintiff‟s Website in terms of layout, graphics,
look and feel etc., but also uses the Plaintiff‟s Trade Marks and images. A
comparison chart of the Plaintiff‟s Website vis-à-vis Defendant No. 1 is
produced hereunder:
Plaintiff’s Website www.ltfinance.com Defendant No. 1 www.aadharcash.com
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 8 of 16
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29. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that being aggrieved
by Defendant No. 1, the Plaintiff investigated further into Defendant No. 1
and found that Defendant No. 1 claims to be operated by one Aadhar Cash
Limited and has its corporate office at One World Centre, Tower 1, Floor 8,
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 9 of 16
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841, Senapati Bapat Marg, Elphinstone, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India –
400013. Extract of the contact details of www.aadharcash.com is reproduced
hereunder:
30. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that upon physical
verification of the address displayed on Defendant No. 1 by the Plaintiff‟s
representative, it was found that the address is in possession of IndusInd
Bank since the last 15 years. Further, no company in the name of Aadhar
Cash Limited exists as per the publicly available records of the Ministry of
Corporate Affairs. The “about us” page of Defendant No. 1 states that it is
managed and operated by one BCL Enterprises Ltd i.e., Defendant No. 2.
Upon further enquiries into Defendant No. 2, it was revealed that the
Website of Defendant No. 2, i.e., www.bclenterprisesltd.in indicates that
Defendant No. 2 is a NBFC.
31. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that Defendant No. 2
obtained its Certificate of Registration from Reserve Bank of India to carry
on the business of non-banking financial institution on 28.02.2000. At
present, Defendant No. 2 is carrying on activities of NBFCs. The records
show that Defendant No. 2 is undergoing Corporate Insolvency Resolution
Process. The role of Defendant No. 2 and the scale of its operations are
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 10 of 16
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unclear at present and shall be revealed during discovery in the present
proceedings.
32. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that further enquiries
into the Mobile Number available on Defendant No. 1 revealed that the
Mobile Number is a business account offering loan related services. The
details given in the WhatsApp description of the said phone number contain
an address, i.e., 573, 3rd Floor, Main Road, Chirag Delhi, New Delhi –
110017. Upon physical verification of the said address, it was found that the
address is at the registered office of one M/s Aadhar Financial
Services Limited, i.e., Defendant No. 3. Further enquiries by the Plaintiff‟s
representative revealed that the premises also house a Chartered
Accountancy firm, namely M/s MDG India, in addition to M/s Aadhar
Financial Services Limited. Screenshots of Defendant No. 3‟s Website are
reproduced hereunder:
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 11 of 16
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33. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that the content
available on the Website of Defendant No. 3 is also identical to Defendant
No. 1. The Plaintiff apprehends that Defendant No. 3 is in the process of
updating the front-end of the website, www.aadharcredit.com, and given the
nature of the domain and the recent registration, Defendant No. 3 will use
the said domain to carry out the infringing and fraudulent website.
Comparison of Defendant No. 1‟s “about us” page with Defendant No. 3‟s
website‟s “about us” page is reproduced hereunder:
www.aadharcash.com www.aadharcredit.com
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 12 of 16
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34. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that Defendant No. 1
and Defendant No. 3‟s Website (“Infringing Websites”) not only contains
an identical layout and content as that of the Plaintiff‟s Website, but also
includes photographs of the Plaintiff‟s Brand Ambassador, i.e., Cricketer
Jasprit Bumrah, name of the Plaintiff‟s Grievance Officer, Mr. Vinod
Vardan, and also the Plaintiff‟s Virtual Relationship Manager – KAI, with
the Plaintiff‟s logo clearly visible. Such unauthorized use of the Plaintiff‟s
Trade Mark, employees name, copyrighted content such as photographs, art
works, graphics, and photos of the Plaintiff‟s Brand Ambassador tantamount
to infringement of the Plaintiff‟s Intellectual Property Rights.
35. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that there is a strong
prima facie case for the grant of an ex parte ad-interim injunction. The
continued operation of the Infringing Websites not only infringes the
Plaintiff‟s Copyright in its website content and layout, but also unlawfully
uses the Plaintiff‟s registered Trade Marks. This unauthorized use is
intended to mislead members of the public into believing that the Infringing
Websites are operated or endorsed by the Plaintiff, which is patently false.
36. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff submitted that the Contesting
Defendants are operating multiple websites to target innocent customers
who are surfing the internet with a view to avail genuine loans. Defendant
No. 1 not only violates Plaintiff‟s Intellectual Property Rights, but also poses
a threat to the bona fide members of public. Furthermore, the “about us”
page of Defendant No. 1 states that they have tie-ups with the leading banks
like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank, Bajaj Finance, India Bulls and
many more, which is giving the impression that Defendant No. 1 is a
legitimate website.
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 13 of 16
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37. Considering the fact that the details of the registrants are not available
to the Court and the identity / similarity between the Plaintiff‟s and the
Infringing Websites, it is clear that the intent is to make monetary gain on
the strength of the Plaintiff‟s Trade Marks.
38. The comparative chart of the Plaintiff‟s Website and the Defendant
No. 1 reveals that there are no differences whatsoever between the
expressions used, the colour combination, the look and feel of the website.
Furthermore, the Plaintiff‟s Brand Ambassador, i.e., Cricketer Jasprit
Bumrah, name of the Plaintiff‟s Grievance Officer, Mr. Vinod Vardan, and
also the Plaintiff‟s Virtual Relationship Manager – KAI are being used by
Defendant No. 1. Defendant No. 1 has also copied the step-by-step guide
which has been provided by the Plaintiff for its users in the exact same
manner.
39. The Plaintiff‟s website has been in existence since 1998 and has
acquired significant goodwill and public recognition. The use of identical
layout, graphics, names of Plaintiff‟s employees, Brand Ambassador, and
even the Plaintiff‟s AI chatbot “KAI” on the infringing websites indicates
copying and deception.
40. In view of the fact that the Contesting Defendants are infringing the
Plaintiff‟s registered marks, Copyrights, as well as the common law rights, a
prima facie case is made out for grant of an ex parte ad-interim injunction in
favour of the Plaintiff. A perusal of the facts shows that the balance of
convenience lies in favour of the Plaintiff and if the injunction is not granted
the Plaintiff will suffer an irreparable injury considering that the Infringing
Websites are deceiving the customers / users by providing money lending
services, it is likely to implicate the Plaintiff in the activities of the
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 14 of 16
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Contesting Defendants and thereby, negatively affecting the goodwill
amassed by the Plaintiff.
41. The learned Counsel for the Plaintiff humbly concedes that at this
stage, the Plaintiff is not seeking immediate takedown of Defendant No. 3‟s
Website, www.aadharcredit.com, and is only seeking injunction upon the
said domain from copying the contents of the Plaintiff‟s Website or passing
off as the Plaintiff.
42. Accordingly, it is directed as under:
a) The Defendant Nos. 1 to 3, their principal officers, proprietor,
partners, servants, agents, their affiliates, subsidiaries, and all others
acting for and on their behalf are restrained from using the current
layout, graphics, look and feel, website design, logo and images of
the Plaintiff and its website, including as part of any domain name,
email ID, social media handle, WhatsApp display picture, or doing
any act that suggests or represents an association with the Plaintiff,
thereby leading to passing off; from using the name / mark “L&T”,
“L&T Finance” and / or any other mark which is identical or
deceptively similar to the Plaintiff‟s or its parent company‟s
registered Trade Marks in any manner whatsoever, including in
connection with any goods or services, thereby causing Unfair
Competition, Dilution or Tarnishment of the Plaintiff‟s Trade
Marks and from reproducing, copying, distributing or otherwise
using any part of the Plaintiff‟s original Copyright-protected
content, including website material, images, text, graphics and
promotional content, without the Plaintiff‟s authorization, thereby
amounting to infringement of Copyright and Passing off;
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 15 of 16
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b) Defendant No. 4 is directed to lock and suspend the domain name,
www.aadharcash.com, and also disclose the details of the
Registrant, contact email, phone number, KYC details and any
other payment details which may be available with it; and
c) Defendant No. 5 is directed to disclose the details of the Registrant
of Defendant No. 3‟s Website, www.aadharcredit.com, contact
email, phone number, KYC details and any other payment details
which may be available with it.
43. The compliance of Order XXXIX Rule 3 of the CPC be done by
e-mail within a week.
44. List before this Court on 17.10.2025.
TEJAS KARIA, J
JULY 28, 2025/ ‘AK’
CS(COMM) 752/2025 Page 16 of 16
This is a digitally signed order.
The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.
The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 30/07/2025 at 22:35:16
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