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Amul gets relief in ice-cream ad case against HUL
MUMBAI: Providing some relief to Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF)-run Amul the Bombay High Court has allowed it to run its two TVCs, which were objected to by Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), but only after deleting portions disparaging rivals like Kwality Wall’s.
In the said judgment that ran into 87 pages, Justice Kathawalla had noted that in 2012-13, Amul started a campaign by distributing pamphlets stating the difference between a frozen dessert and ice cream. These pamphlets state: “Usse real milk wala Amul ice cream khilayein, Vanaspati tel wala nahi”. While frozen desserts contain vegetable oil, ice creams contain dairy fat.
A division bench headed by Justice BR Gavai and Justice RI Chagla took the decision on an earlier appeal filed by GCMMF against the past judgment of a single bench of Justice SJ Kathawalla restricting Amul from broadcasting the two TV ads showing vanaspati (vegetable oil) flowing in a cup with frozen dessert written on it. The said campaign was launched in March last year and emphasised the difference between ice-creams (made from milk fat) and frozen desserts (made from vegetable oil). HUL objected to the ads stating Vanaspati is not used in the manufacture of frozen desserts by Kwality Wall’s, instead, edible vegetable oil is used.
However, the court also found that there was no need to restrain Amul from broadcasting both TVCs entirely – “We are of the view that such a blanket injunction could not have been granted by the learned single judge. A perusal of the advertisement would reveal that entire TVC cannot be said to be of objectionable nature.”
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Oracle layoffs affect up to 30,000 employees globally
Job cuts span US, India and more, staff cite abrupt emails, uncertainty.
MUMBAI: April began with an inbox shock and for thousands, it ended with an exit. Oracle has carried out a sweeping round of layoffs, impacting an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 employees across its global operations, even as the company continues to report strong business performance. The job cuts were communicated via emails sent early on April 1, affecting staff across multiple regions including the United States, India, Canada and parts of Latin America. The reduction spans a wide range of roles and functions, though the company has not disclosed specific criteria behind the decisions.
In the days following the layoffs, employees have taken to platforms such as LinkedIn to share their experiences, many describing the process as abrupt and unsettling. Several posts pointed to a lack of prior indication, with notifications arriving suddenly in early-morning messages.
A recurring concern has been the impact on long-tenured staff. Users reported that employees with decades of experience were among those let go, raising broader questions about job security even for seasoned professionals within large technology firms.
The layoffs have also sparked anxiety about the wider direction of the sector. As companies continue to invest heavily in automation and artificial intelligence, workforce recalibration is becoming more common often accompanied by uncertainty around future roles and skills.
For many affected employees, the immediate challenge lies in navigating career transitions in an increasingly competitive job market, with posts reflecting concerns about stability and next steps.
The development comes against a backdrop of strong financial performance at Oracle, which recently reported a 22 percent year-on-year increase in revenue, alongside continued growth in its cloud infrastructure business. The company has also been committing significant capital towards artificial intelligence and data centre expansion.
The contrast between growth and job cuts has added to the unease, underscoring a broader shift in how large technology firms balance expansion with efficiency sometimes at the cost of the very workforce that helped build that growth.
