The owners of Daryaganj restaurant have taken their grievance to the Delhi High Court, alleging defamatory statements made by Moti Mahal restaurant owners in an interview regarding the origins of butter chicken. For years, Delhi's prominent eateries, Moti Mahal and Daryaganj, have been embroiled in a dispute over the origins of butter chicken and dal makhani.

A case filed by Moti Mahal against Daryaganj's use of the term "inventors of butter chicken and dal makhani" is currently pending in the Delhi High Court.

The new petition is scheduled for a hearing on May 29. Moti Mahal contends that their former owner, the late Kundal Lal Gujral, pioneered butter chicken and later dal makhani by substituting chickpeas for chicken in the same recipe.

Moti Mahal asserts itself as the progenitor of these culinary delights, operating in Old Delhi since 1950. They also lay claim to being the originators of tandoori chicken. They seek court intervention to prohibit Daryaganj from asserting ownership over these dishes.

However, Daryaganj's proprietors argue that the first Moti Mahal restaurant was established in Peshawar, Pakistan, by the late Kundan Lal Gujral, Moti Mahal's owner, and the late Kundan Lal Jaggi, Daryaganj's owner, prior to partition. They further contend that Kundan Lal Jaggi introduced the recipes for dal makhani and butter chicken in India.