Delhi High Court Temporarily Restrains Uttarakhand University From Using 'Maharaja Agrasen' Name In Trademark Dispute

Justice Jyoti Singh passed the interim order in a suit filed by Maharaja Agrasen Technical Educational Society (Regd.), which runs several institutions under the "Maharaja Agrasen" family of marks.

The plaintiff submitted that it is a charitable society established in 1998, running institutions such as Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology (MAIT), Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Management Studies (MAIMS), and Maharaja Agrasen University (MAU) in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, which was inaugurated by the late President Pranab Mukherjee in 2013.

The plaintiff holds 16 registered trademarks, including word marks and logo devices, in which "Maharaja Agrasen" is stated to be an essential, inseparable and dominant feature.

It was submitted that in February 2025, the plaintiff learnt that the defendant, originally known as Himalayan Garhwal University, had renamed itself as Maharaja Agrasen Himalayan Garhwal University (MAHGU) after being directed by a District Judge in Arunachal Pradesh to change its name pursuant to a dispute with Himalayan University.

Instead of adopting a distinct name, the defendant allegedly deliberately adopted the name Maharaja Agrasen Himalayan Garhwal University, which subsumes the name MAHARAJA AGRASEN in its entirety.

When first listed on May 8, 2025, the Court's order recorded that "it is an admitted position that the defendant is not associated with the plaintiff in any manner whatsoever as also it does not wish to continue use the mark 'MAHARAJA AGRASEN' in any manner whatsoever," following which the parties were referred to mediation and interim relief was deferred.

However, over a year later, when the matter was listed on July 7, 2026, counsel for the defendant took the stand that no such concession was ever made and that he had not even appeared on that date.

The Court noted that "no application has been filed till date by the Defendant seeking recall, review or modification of the order," and held that this "belated shift of stand cannot be accepted."

The Court held that "MAHARAJA AGRASEN is the dominant part of Plaintiff's logo mark, which captures the attention in the first instance and Defendant has copied the name in entirety as part of its logo."

On the question of intent, the Court observed that the defendant's adoption of the plaintiff's name "despite being aware of the immense goodwill and reputation of the Plaintiff" was fortified by the fact that the mark was adopted for "an educational university which renders identical services," and came in the aftermath of the defendant having been restrained from using its earlier name by a different court, suggesting an attempt "to present a narrative of commercial nexus or association with the Plaintiffs."

The Court restrained the defendant from using the mark "Maharaja Agrasen Himalayan Garhwal University" or the name "Maharaja Agrasen" in any manner, till the next date of hearing, while clarifying that "Defendant will, however, be at liberty to use the impugned logo without the name 'Maharaja Agrasen'."

The Court directed the defendant to file its reply within six weeks and listed the matter for final hearing on September 2, 2026.

For Maharaja Agrasen Technical Educational Society: Advocates Siddharth Yadav, Nageshwar Kumhar, Ayush Dey and Anmol Pandey

For Maharaja Agrasen Himalayan Garhwal University: Advocates Manish Gupta and Abhimanyu Singh