In a fresh legal challenge ahead of Cult.fit’s proposed public listing, the Madras High Court (HC) has issued a notice on a petition seeking cancellation of the CULT trademark registration held by one of the company’s subsidiaries.

The rectification petition was filed by Deepak Poduval, who cofounded the CULT fitness business in Bengaluru in 2015. He has approached the court seeking cancellation of the trademark registration held by Cultfit Healthcare Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Cult.fit, alleging that the documents used to establish ownership of the brand were forged.

The court issued notice in the matter (OP(TM) No. 51 of 2026) on October 12, 2026. During a hearing on November 5, it adjourned the proceedings to December 2, allowing Cultfit Healthcare to file its response.

Separately, Poduval has approached the Commercial Court in Bengaluru, seeking to have the 2017 deeds that purportedly transferred the CULT brand declared void. He has alleged that the signatures on these documents were forged. The matter is scheduled for its next hearing on November 16.

The dispute over the CULT trademark dates back to 2015, when Poduval first applied for the ‘CULT – The Workout Station’ trademark in August that year.

Cultfit Healthcare filed a separate trademark application in November 2016, claiming usage of the brand from May 1, 2015 — the same first-use date mentioned in Poduval’s application.

When the Trademark Registry raised objections citing Poduval’s earlier application, Cultfit Healthcare did not produce the alleged assignment deeds. Instead, it claimed to be the prior user and owner of the trademark in its own right.

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